Bad Timing
by monkeymoe
Summary: 48 hours before her wedding, Bella's friends take her out for her last Friday as an unmarried woman. 24 hours before her wedding, Bella wakes up to find herself already married. AH and possibly OOC at times.
1. Prologue: Another 48 hours

_**ok.. first things first. i don't own anything, the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**_

_**second, this is the first time i've written anything... i'm hoping it'll turn out ok and people will like it.. any suggestions to improve will**_ **_be appreciated... just please be kind about it :)_**

**_here goes nothing.._**

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Prologue: Another 48 hours.

**BPOV**

Here we go again. 48 more hours before I do something that should have been done 6 months ago.

Things were simple then.

Things were perfect.

My perfect dream job: Editor in chief for the local newspaper. For the past 3 years I've been living out my teenage dream. With this job I can put my two passions to use, reading and writing. I'm well respected and make more than enough money to support myself. Perfect.

The best friends I could have ever asked for: Alice and Jasper Whitlock, Rosalie and Emmett McCarty. We all met on the first day of high school. I was the new kid, therefore the object of everyone's attacks. I'm clumsy enough as it is with out people randomly shoving me in the halls. The whole morning I was stared at, glared at, laughed at and "accidentally" run into so many times that by lunch I decided to go home and beg my dad to let me stay home and not go back. On my way out, Lauren Mallory – the most popular girl in school and all around bitch – decided to stretch out her leg at the same time I just so happened to be walking by and sent me and my books flying through the air, landing painfully on the floor. Everyone in the hall burst out laughing and I could feel myself going red in embarrassment.

Suddenly, I felt two large arms grab my waist and pull me up off the floor. Looking around I saw a tiny, beautiful, pixie-like girl being held back by two gorgeous, tall, blondes – a boy and a girl. I was too far into shock to understand what the pixie was saying, but I could tell that if it wasn't for the blondes holding her back, she'd be ripping out Lauren's hair.

Next thing I knew I was sitting on a bench outside with large hands being waved in my face.

"Hellooo? Can. You. Hear. Me? Are. You. Ok?" said the owner of the hands. He was a very tall, very muscular guy with short dark hair and dimples that could melt a girl's heart.

"Wh-what?"

"Are you ok?" he said slowly.

"Ye-"

"IS SHE OK?!"

I turned to see the black haired pixie running out of the building at me, the blondes trailing behind.

"Is she ok?! I can't believe Lauren did that! Actually, I take that back, I totally believe she did that! Stupid, selfish, bitter.."

She continued to mumble rude words about Lauren quietly until she reached me, her expression softening at the wide eye stare I'm sure I had.

"Oh my God, are you ok? I'm so sorry about her. We're not all like that here, I swear. Some of us are actually pretty nice, sometimes better than nice. Oh please, please don't leave already. I just know we could be the best of friends," the pixie said in what I'm pretty sure was only one breath.

"Calm down Alice. Give her a chance to breathe," the blonde guy said having finally caught up.

The pixie named Alice nodded and took a deep breath while the blonde girl sat down next to me and patted my shoulder.

"Don't take what Lauren did too much to heart. She's just been in a bad mood lately because her _perfect _junior boyfriend Mike dumped her sophomore ass over the summer for his new senior girlfriend Jessica."

"At Lauren's birthday party," added Alice with a grin.

"The look on her face was _priceless,_" the muscular guy laughed. "I wish I had a camera."

They all laughed for a moment before introducing themselves.

Along with the pixie Alice, the tall blonde guy's name was Jasper and he was Alice's boyfriend.

The muscular guy's name was Emmett and the tall blonde girl's name was Rosalie, Emmett's girlfriend.

We quickly became friends and stuck together through out high school and college. To this day we're still as close as ever. I can tell them anything and they feel the same for me. They're the nicest people imaginable. The only thing that out weighs their looks is their hearts.

A loud crack of thunder brought me out of my memories and back to my current problem.

My fiancé.

My wedding.

My mistake.

I should be married by now. Married to a man I love dearly.

Jake.

My Jake.

We met right after college and there was an instant connection between us. We were together for 4 years when he asked me to marry him. We originally wanted a small, quick wedding, but Alice wouldn't allow that. So we spent almost a year planning a huge, perfect wedding.

For almost a year, I spent the days and nights dreaming about walking down the aisle to a pair of beautiful dark eyes.

Now I find myself dreaming about walking down the aisle to a pair of gorgeous bright eyes.

And while I know I should hate myself for it. I can't help but feel a stronger pull towards the bright eyes.

Bright green to be exact.


	2. Chapter 1: 48 hours

_**i don't own anything... at all.**_

_**a big thank you to everyone reading.. i'm glad you liked the prologue.. hopefully you'll like this too :)**_

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Chapter 1: 48 hours

**BPOV**

6 months earlier.

_48 hours. 48 hours. 48 hours._

I've been chanting that in my head since I woke up this morning. Ok, so maybe the exact minutes and hours were a little off, but it helped me get through the day.

I was getting ready to leave work when my co-worker and friend Angela Weber came in my office with an apologetic look on her face.

"Oh no," I said. "You're not coming are you?"

"Well, not tonight. On top of having to work late so I'll be off Sunday, my sister just called and she needs me to baby sit in the morning. I tried to get out of it, I really did."

"It's fine. As long as you are at my wedding Sunday, that's what really matters. Hell, I wish I didn't have to go tonight."

Rose and Alice _told me_ that we had to go out tonight. One last Friday girl's night out before I was one of the girls with husbands waiting at home. And as much as I hate going out, I didn't get a choice in the matter.

"Are you sure it's ok? I feel like I'm feeding you to the lions here."

I had to laugh. Like myself, Angela was the shy, stay at home type of girl. Alice and Rosalie were not. At least once a month for the past few years the four of us have gone out on Friday nights to quote, "Have some fun." Which usually meant, get crazy drunk Friday night and spend all day Saturday hung over in bed. Not this time. I've got way too much I have to do this weekend and I'm not gonna screw it up by getting overly drunk.

"Angela, really, it's fine. I've dealt with those two for over 10 years. I've learned some tricks to keep them off my back."

"Thank you for understanding," she said while giving me a hug. "I'll make it up to you I promise."

"How about this," I laughed. "Next time Alice wants to go shopping, you take my place?"

I noticed a flash of fear in her eyes before she muttered a, "O-okay"

"Ha, don't worry; I'll talk to her about taking it easy on you"

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

We laughed while walking out of my office and said our goodbyes.

_48 hours. 48 hours. 48 more hours_

--

4 hours later I was just finishing up doing my hair when there was a knock at my door.

"Coming!" I said while heading down the hall to get the door.

The knocking continued along with yelling.

"BELLA! BELLA, BELLA, BELLA! OPEN UP!" Alice, Definitely Alice.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming. Jeez." I mumbled while opening the door.

I opened the door to find Alice standing there with her hands on her hips while tapping her foot and an amused Rosalie smirking behind her.

"Took you long enough," she said while rolling her eyes and walking past me towards my kitchen.

"Hello to you too," I laughed while letting Rose in and shutting the door.

"So Missy," said Rose. "Are you ready for your last party night as an unmarried woman?"

"Ready for it to be over," I mumbled while glancing toward the kitchen.

"I HEARD THAT!" Alice yelled.

Rose and I laughed while we walked into the kitchen, finding Alice sitting on my counter with a confused look on her face.

"Where's Angela?"

"She had to back out. She was forced into overtime tonight and sucked into babysitting in the morning."

"Aw, but I was gonna try to set her up tonight. It's been what, a month since her last date?"

"Alice, take it easy on her," said Rose. "She's worse than Bella when it comes to being shy."

"And that's saying something," I said with no shame. "There's always next time."

Alice laughed. "Yeah, that's true."

"Exactly, so," Rose said while clapping her hands. "Are we ready to get this show on the road?

"Yup, just give me a minute to put my ring away," I replied.

"Ooo.. Are you going out as a single girl tonight?" asked Alice.

"_No_, I just don't want to lose it. Jake worked really hard to get it for me. I'd feel awful if I lost it _now._"

"Ah, I understand. I was a nervous wreck with my engagement ring. Hell, I'm still a nervous wreck with my wedding ring," she thought for a moment, "Will you hold onto my ring too?"

"Sure."

"Er, Mine too?" added Rose.

I laughed, "No problem."

With our rings safely put away we grabbed a taxi and headed off looking for a club that just opened last week, Twilight.

Thirty minutes later we were finally walking up to the amazing new club.

"Wow, look at this place," Rose said as we went inside. "I've never seen anything like it."

"I've got a good feeling about this place," said Alice.

"You and your _feelings_," I laughed.

"Have they ever been wrong?"

"No, Miss Almighty Alice, you've never been wrong." I had to admit, it's scary how right she is some times.

"Thank you. Now, let's find a place to sit and get this party started!"

We found a place to sit and ordered our first round of drinks.

"Alice, don't let me drink too much tonight," I said. "I've got too much to do this weekend."

"Bella, you're gonna spend your last unmarried Friday night just getting buzzed?"

"I mean it Alice," I said while pointing my finger at her face. "I've got stuff I need to get done tomorrow. I can't spend all day in bed."

"Okay, okay," she said putting her hands in the air. "I'll cut you off early."

"Thank you."

Looking around I noticed that the place was packed. I couldn't tell where one person ended and another one started.

"Look at him!" Alice yelled.

"Who? What? Where?" said Rose.

"Down there by the corner of the bar, tall, dark and handsome with a bit of fashion sense. See, I knew we should have grabbed Angela on the way over here. He's perfect."

I turned to look where she pointed and as I did the sea of people parted to reveal a living breathing Greek God.

I could only sit there, dazed, staring at him. He wore black pants and a black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top 3 buttons undone. His face was strong and sharp with straight lines but seemed soft at the same time. He had unruly bronze hair that stood up in every direction and a crooked smile that lit up that side of the room. It would be an artist's dream to be able to create something like him and he was just born like that.

"Ooo, Hel-lo baby," I heard Rose say behind me.

Almost as if he heard her calling him, he looked over to our table and locked eyes with me.

Gorgeous green eyes that even from across the crowded room I knew they would give the club lights a run for their money.

I don't know how long I sat there staring at the beautiful stranger before I heard my loud pixie friend beside me yell, "Drinks are here!"

I picked up a glass and took my first shot of the night lost in a sea of green.


	3. Chapter 2: No More Fridays

_**don't own anything.. not even a little**_

_**finally, Edward's friday night.. it took a bit longer to write this chapter than i thought it would.. but Edward is turning out to be a deep thinker.. so there's more to write with him.. hopefully the next update won't take as long.. enjoy :)**_

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Chapter 2: No More Fridays

**EPOV**

I knew there was a reason why I took Fridays off. Friday nights at _La Bella Italia _were the busiest nights of the week with the most annoying waitresses. All of which have an extreme and creepy fascination with me. But they were short a waiter, I was short some money, so here I am.

I've been waiting here for 10 years, right out of high school. I took this job intending on only working here for a few years while I started my music career. Clearly, that plan didn't work.

I gathered up my order and started walking toward the dining room. On my way I passed a waitress flirting with a cook. What I didn't notice was her kicking back her leg, in what I'm sure was supposed to be a sexy way, tripping me and sending all the plates of food I was carrying to the floor.

_Great, _I thought, _someone is getting a free meal tonight, courtesy of me and my paycheck. Can anything _else_ go wrong?_

"MASEN!" I heard my boss yell. _Guess so._

"CLEAN UP THAT MESS AND GET THESE ORDERS OUT THERE NOW!"

"Yes sir."

I had started to clean up the mess when I heard the waitress that tripped me come up behind me.

"Oh Eddie-Bear, I'm so sorry." _Oh no, please no, anybody but her. _"I didn't even see you there. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Jane."

Jane and I went out once – _once – _about a month ago. And apparently some time during that short and horrible date, if you even wanna call it that, she thought it would be cute to start calling me 'Eddie-Bear.'

She kept apologizing the whole time she helped me pick up. After she said 'Sorry' a hundred more times we finished picking up the mess and I actually thought I was going to get away without any of her 'Flirting.' _Wrong!_

"So, Eddie," she started. I should know my luck better than that by now.

"I feel really bad about this whole mess." _You should. _"So how about we get together after work tonight and I'll make it up to you." It took all my strength not to throw up on her when she said that. She never stopped amazing me with her skill to effortlessly switch between the guys she was flirting with, one right after another.

"I uh, can't." I said. More like I won't but I was trying not to be rude.

"Aw, why not?" she asked while running a finger down my cheek. I held back a shudder while trying to find a polite excuse. Luckily I was saved by the voice of my roommate James, who is also a waiter here.

"He's hanging out with me tonight." He said, throwing his arm over my shoulder. "Got a new surround sound system we need to break in." An obvious lie, we could barely afford our rent let alone a new sound system.

"Oh, well, if you change your mind Eddie-Bear, give me a call." She winked and walked away.

I turned to see my so called best friend putting his hand over his mouth, his face turning red from trying not to laugh.

"Don't… start." I said with a glare.

"Wouldn't dream of it….. Eddie-Bear." He laughed.

I groaned and turned around to look at the clock. _2 more hours._

--

_Finally, _I thought as I sat down at my piano, _alone at last._

I knew I had at least an hour before James came home and took over the living room with his Halo obsession. An hour to zone out and pretend I didn't just have a horrible night at work.

I started to play and old favorite of my mother's. Both her and my father died in a car crash 6 years ago. Things have been going down hill since then.

The song ended but I continued playing. I wasn't playing a certain song I'd learned or written, just what I felt, what I've been feeling.

The music went from a soft, sad melody to a hard, angry battle between the notes, one always trying to stand out more than the other. The longer I played the harder I hit the keys. I kept hitting them harder and harder until soon it felt like I could break my fingers at any moment.

I played like this until I heard my door slam shut. I continued playing but as a slower pace, not even acknowledging the other person in the room. They, however, had other ideas.

"Rough day, Ed?" I heard James' girlfriend Victoria say.

"I wouldn't get him started on that. He had another run in with Jane today." James said.

I tuned them out after that. They'll just say the same things I've already heard anyway. She'll tell him he needs to talk me into going out with some of her friends, he'll say he tried but because I'm 'so damn stubborn' I refused and then she'll start yelling at him to try harder. It's the same conversation they've been having almost every day for months.

At some point Victoria left the room and James came over to stand by my piano.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?" He asked.

"Plan?"

"We told Jane we were hanging out tonight. So, what are we doing? Where are we going?"

"We're not."

"Why not? I mean, you need to have _some_ fun. When was the last time you went out?"

"1 month, 3 weeks and 4 days ago. Not that I'm counting or anything."

"Oh," he said, sitting on top of my piano. "That was _that _night, huh?"

"Yeah, _that _night." _That_ night was the last night James was able to talk me into going out. Let's just say it ended badly.

"Well, all the more reason to go out then. We'll go to that new place Twilight. Vikki has been begging me to take here there since it opened. So how about it, Eddie?"

By that point I was back to slamming down the keys and quickly losing my temper.

"First off, my name is not Eddie. Second, I _do not_ want to go out tonight, so let it go." I started off calmly but by the end I was yelling.

"Edward-" He started.

"James, if you do not get off my piano right now, I'm telling Victoria you called her Vikki again."

That got him. Victoria hated to be called Vikki just as much as I hated to be called Eddie.

He jumped off my piano just as Victoria came back into the room. They started making plans to go to Twilight while I went in to my room.

Fifteen minutes later James yelled they were leaving and if I changed my mind, give him a call and we'd find a place to meet up in the club. _Yeah, that'll happen._

After an hour of just laying in bed, unable to fall asleep, I started to weigh my options.

I could go, get out of the house, waste some time and maybe even get my mind off things. Or I could stay home and try sleeping again.

Then again, if I go, I won't stop hearing James tell me 'I told you so' for _at least_ the next month. But if I stay, I know I won't sleep and end up sulking.

_Damn it, _I thought, _I guess I'll go and have a drink. That way I _can_ say I've gone out._

I got up, got dressed and called James. He said we'd meet at the far end of the bar to the left. I decided to just walk there since it was only a few blocks away.

I had to admit, it was definitely one of the nicer ones that James has forced me into going to over the years. And there's been quite a few.

I quickly found James and Victoria and ordered a drink. They both tried to start a conversation with me, but I just wasn't interested. After a few minutes, I started to give the inside of the club a full once over, only to instantly lock eyes with what I can only describe as… an angel.

Even from across the room, I could see her like she was standing in front of me.

She had long, rich, dark brown hair that framed her soft, delicate, pale face. Her eyes were a deep brown that I could almost literally feel myself falling into.

I continued to stare at her, unable to turn away, while she took a shot.

_Oh, to be that glass._

Wait, what? Where did that come from?

_Snap out of it Edward. You don't even know her. There's no need to go down that road again. Why would she, a goddess, want to talk to you anyway? She's only staring at you out of pity. That must be it._

I continued to tell myself that until I almost believed it. But the deeper I looked into her eyes, the more I began to realize that, that wasn't the case.

"Hey Edward," I heard James say beside me. "We're gonna head over to Victoria's place. Need a ride?"

"No," I said, finally breaking my stare. "I think I'm gonna hang out here a little longer."

Their eyes went wide. "Really?"

"_Yes._"

"Okay then," he said getting up to leave, "See you tomorrow."

"See ya."

I resumed staring at the mystery goddess, watching as she took another drink.

_Go talk to her._

No.

_Why not? What have you got to lose?_

No, I shouldn't even be in the same building as someone like her, let alone talking to her.

_She's staring at you too._

It's out of pity. It has to be.

_Why don't you go talk to her and find out?_

I had no argument. Why not? She couldn't put me any lower than I already am.

_You only have to talk to her for a few minutes. Talking doesn't commit you to anything. You can leave here tonight and act like nothing ever happened._

I held back a laugh. I had a feeling she wasn't going to be so easy to forget.

_Still, you should at least go talk to her for a few minutes. After all, you have been staring at her pretty much the whole time you've been here._

Then it's decided. I'll go, say hello, be polite for a few minutes, and then head back home to attempt sleeping again.

I ordered another drink and started to cross the room, still lost in the deep brown eyes of a goddess. A goddess I was actually going to try to speak to.

_Here goes nothing._

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_**quick note: yes, James is a good guy.. i figured Edward needed at least one friend and Bella already has Emmett.. plus they're gonna have enough trouble with out the usual James drama**_


	4. Chapter 3: About Last Night

**_don't own anything.. just came up with a random story idea and borrowed the characters names_**

**_this was the easiest and the quickest chapter to write.. mostly because this is the part of the story i've had in my head since i first came up with it a few years ago.. anyway.. enjoy_**

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Chapter 3: About Last Night

**BPOV**

_Oh my head. It hurts, it hurts a lot._

I guess it's safe to say that Alice didn't keep her promise to stop me from drinking too much last night. The next time I see her I'm gonna go Godzilla on her short ass.

I slowly attempted to roll over. As I did I rolled onto something warm and it was moving slightly. It didn't take me too long to realize it was a body.

Jake? When did I meet up with him last night?

I opened my eyes fully expecting to see the dark tan chest I was used to seeing. Instead, I was greeted by an unfamiliar, pale chest.

_What? No, oh no, oh no, oh no. No, no, no. This can't be happening._

I slowly looked up and saw the face of the Greek God from the club last night, sleeping peacefully.

I screamed.

I screamed louder than I ever have in my entire life, pushed away from the now awake and also screaming Greek God… and fell off the bed on to the cold hardwood floor.

I instantly closed my eyes and held my head. Falling did not help my headache any.

Once again I slowly opened my eyes, this time I was greeted by something… purple?

_Oh no, my bra._

It was only then that I fully realized what was going on and what I'd done.

I grabbed the sheet I'd managed to bring with me when I fell, wrapped it around myself and stood up… _way_ too fast.

When the room finally stopped spinning so fast, I turned to see Mr. Greek God sitting up in the bed with a blanket sitting low over his lap.

_Focus on his face, Bella, _said a little voice in my head.

Of course I'm focusing on his face. What a stupid thing to think.

"Hi." He said awkwardly, waving his hand slightly.

"Oh my God." I said as I started to panic. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God."

"Yeah." He said, running his hand through his hair.

I started walking back and forth in the small room. I was on my third pass when I realized I had no idea where I was and I started to panic even more.

"Oh my God, where am I? What happened last night? Who are you? Wait, what time is it? Oh no, this can not be happening. I'M GETTNG MARRIED TOMORROW! THIS CAN NOT HAPPEN TO ME NOW!"

"You're getting married?"

"YES!"

"Oh, congratulations."

I could only stare at him with my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open. _Did he really just say that?_

"I-I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I should have paid more attention. I should have seen your ring. I'm so sorry." He apologized.

"It's not all your fault." I admitted, even though I wasn't sure I meant it. "I didn't wear my ring last night and I know I should have."

A variety of emotions passed across his face, shame, shock, relief, until finally settling on confusion.

"You didn't?"

"No."

"Then what's that on your hand?"

_My hand? What?_

I lifted my left hand and found a gold band on my ring finger.

_That's not my engagement ring. _ I thought. _That's not any ring I've ever seen before._

I looked up to find What's-His-Name looking at his left hand, a gold band was wrapped around his finger too.

Suddenly it all started to make sense. I started to remember parts of last night, Rose and Alice taking me out, spotting the Greek God across the club, he came up and started talking to me, Rose and Alice disappeared and I kept drinking.

I kept drinking and got… married.

"This can't be happening." I whispered while sitting down in a near by chair. "We-we can't be…" I couldn't even say the word.

I began to cry. "I-I don't even know your name."

"Um, well, I'm Edward Masen." He said, holding out his hand for me to shake.

I reluctantly took his hand and said, "Bella Swan."

"Uh, actually…with all due respect… I think its Bella Masen now."

I went from a wide eye stare to a cold, hard glare in under a second.

"Bad timing?" he asked.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, were the two words that sent me into a furry.

I shot up out of the chair and started yelling.

"YES IT'S BAD TIMING! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW, GETTING MARRIED TO SOMEONE I ACTUALLY LOVE, SOMEONE I ACTUALLY _KNOW_! AND INSTEAD, I WAKE UP TODAY MARRIED TO SOME NAKED SMARTASS I DON'T EVEN KNOW! SO YOU'LL HAVE TO EXCUSE ME IF I SEEM LIKE I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!"

I stood there, breathing heavily, still glaring at him.

"Okay, okay," he said, putting his hands in the air, "I'm sorry. Let's just try to calm down for a minute, alright? We can handle this, people get divorces everyday. So we shouldn't have any problems. We'll just take care of this and move on."

I sighed and sat back down in the chair. "I'm not worried about whether or not we'll be able to get a divorce. I have a friend who's a lawyer; he can easily take care of it. I'm worried about what Jake will say."

"Jake is your… fiancé?

"Yes." I cried. "I can't tell him. He'll never forgive me."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair again.

"You have to tell him. He'll want to know."

"He'll hate me."

"If he loved you enough to propose to you in the first place, he won't hate you. If loves you, if he truly _loves_ you, he'll understand. If nothing else, it would be better if it came from you."

He was right. I had to at least try. I owed Jake that much.

"Thank you." I said quietly.

He gave me a small smile. "I'll let you get dressed, then we can talk more about this, okay?"

"Okay." I said with a small nod.

He stood up wrapping the blanket around his waist, grabbed his pants off the floor and went into the other room.

I sat there quietly for a moment, trying to come to terms with everything.

_I'm married._

_I got drunk and then I got married to a Greek God named Edward Masen._

I got up and slowly started to get dressed.

_What's Jake gonna say? He probably won't even wanna look at me, not that I blame him._

After all these years, I wait until 2 nights before our wedding to screw up. _What kind of fiancé am I?_

I finished getting dressed and walked out the same way Edward had a few minutes ago.

I walked through what I assumed was his apartment until I found him sitting on a couch with his head in his hands, shirtless. _Oh _perfect_. Focus Bella, focus._

I was about to start arguing with myself again when he looked up and gave me a small, crooked smile. I gave a small, awkward smile back.

"So," I said as I sat down next to him, "Where do we start?"

"Well, you said you had a friend who's a lawyer. We could give him a call and then go from there."

"Okay, I'll go home, give him a call and let you know."

"Okay."

He gave me his number and directions out of his apartment building while we walked over to his front door. We stood there for a few minutes, neither of us quite sure what to say.

"Uh, I'll talk to you later I guess." I said.

"Yeah."

Another moment of awkward silence.

"Bye." I finally said.

"Bye."

I walked out the door and was half way down the hall before I heard him calling my name.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?" I asked, turning around.

"I-I really am sorry about all this. I hope things work out with you and Jake."

"Thanks." I said as the elevator dinged.

I gave one last little wave and walked inside the elevator. When the doors closed, I felt the ring on my finger weighing down my whole arm and a strange sense of… emptiness.


	5. Chapter 4: A Wife?

**_don't own anything... at all... still_**

_**finally**__** chapter 4**_

_**just so you guys know... there may not be an update this weekend... i'm going on vacation so it'll depend on whether or not i'll have a chance to write and/or if i have internet.. if i don't, the next update will probably be sometime early next week :)**_

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Chapter 4: A Wife?

**EPOV**

I stood there staring at the elevator long after she left, my wife, the goddess, the angel, Bella.

I didn't know if I should feel happy or ashamed.

_Ashamed!_ My head screamed at me. _She's supposed to be getting married. She _cried_ because of you._

I knew I shouldn't have gone out last night. There's no such thing as me having a good night. My life is messed up and now I've ruined hers.

I was right to think I didn't deserve to talk to her, look at where that got us. She was so upset, so worried about what her fiancé will say.

_Hopefully he can forgive her. Someone like her deserves to be happy, to be loved._

As I thought those words a strange kind of pain rippled through my chest, and just as fast as it came, it was gone.

I stood in my doorway stunned and confused. I've never felt like that before.

I finally went back inside and threw myself onto my couch.

When I turned my head toward the coffee table in front of the couch I found a black purse sitting on it.

_Bella's. It must be hers._

I sat up to take a closer look at it and was once again arguing with myself.

_Open it._

No.

_Why not? She's probably worried about it, and if you look inside you can find out where she lives and return it to her._

No! She said she'd call. I'm not going to push her. If she wants to talk, we'll talk, that's that.

Just as I finally settled on waiting James came home.

"Hey man. How was your night?" He asked.

I gave a small laugh. "Interesting."

"Oh yeah? What did you do?"

"Well, since you asked, I got married."

He rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny."

"No really," I said lifting up my left hand, "I got married."

His mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide. James has always been a man of many words, so when he's speechless, it's really saying something, and at that moment, he wasn't even breathing.

"You-you seriously got married." He finally asked.

"Yeah."

"To _who?_"

"A girl I met at the club last night."

"Hold on, _you_ met and married someone… all in one night?"

"Yeah, well," I said running a hand through my hair. "We were both pretty drunk."

"Wow." He said with a stunned look. "Well, good for you. It's about time you did something about your love life… even if you didn't really mean to."

"No James," I said shaking my head. "It's bad, it's really bad."

"_Why?_"

"She's supposed to be marring someone else tomorrow."

His eyes went even wider than they did before.

"Oh," he said. "Damn."

"Yeah." I said again, pinching the bridge of my nose.

I heard James take a deep breath and say, "So what's the plan?"

"Plan, what plan?"

"The plan to win her over. The plan to make her choose you, to choose to stay married to you instead of marring this other guy. Duh."

I rolled my eyes. "James, there is no plan. There will be no plan. She loves _him_."

As I said that the strange pain returned, only this time it lasted much longer.

"But she married _you_." James said, snapping my attention away from the pain and back to our conversation.

"And?" I asked, not seeing his point.

"And that's gotta mean something."

"She was drunk!" I yelled. "She didn't even remember it this morning. Hell, even I didn't even remember it this morning."

"So?" He asked.

"So that means there will be no plan, no staying married, no trying to stop the wedding, no nothing. We're getting the divorce and then we're gonna go on with our lives like nothing happened."

I could feel the pain coming back once again at those words. It seems like I will have a harder time getting over her, then she will with me. But I found myself not caring. I found myself willing to take any and all kinds of pain if it made things easier on her.

_What is _happening_ to me?_

"Edward, think about it. Yeah, she wasn't completely with it last night but the fact still remains; she married someone who isn't her fiancé last night. So that's gotta mean that somewhere deep down inside, she doesn't really wanna marry that guy."

I sighed. "Yes she does James, she really does."

I got up and walked over to my piano. As soon as I sat down I start playing a melody like I've never played before, but I instantly recognized it.

_Bella._

It was like the song was describing her, her hair, her eyes, her beautiful smile.

I stopped myself but I could already tell that the notes were permanently stuck in my mind. I would look at my piano and see _the_ keys jumping out at me, begging to be played.

_Don't do this. She's happy with him. Don't make things worse than they already are._

I heard James clear his throat behind me.

"Look, uh, since I stayed over at Vikki's last night, she's gonna come and stay here tonight, so…"

"Damnit James, you know I have to work in the morning."

Let's just put it this way, whenever Victoria stays the night, _no one,_ in the _entire building,_ gets any sleep.

"Sorry Eddie-Bear."

I shot him a glare. _I'm never going to live that name down._

He shrugged and started walking towards the door.

"Maybe your wife will let you crash at her place." And with that he slammed the door shut, leaving me stunned at my piano. Damnit.

_You have her purse. _A little voice in my head said. _You can take it back to her and casually bring up staying the night._

No, no, no, no, no! I told myself I wouldn't!

_You also said you wouldn't go to the club last night and you did._

Yes! And that's what got me into this mess!

_Fine, but you should at least be polite and take her purse to her. She deserves that much from you._

I couldn't argue with that.

I got up from my piano and went into my room to get ready, thinking the whole time.

_I'm married. I have a wife. I have an angel for a wife. Bella._


	6. Chapter 5: Mrs Tall, Dark and Handsome?

**_i don't own anything.. i'm too lazy to_**

**_ok... so this took a lot longer than i hoped it would and i'm really sorry about that... hopefully the next chapter (or any other chapter for that matter) won't take as long_**

**_so finally... enjoy_**

Chapter 5: Mrs. Tall, Dark and Handsome?

**BPOV**

I was half way home when I realized I'd lost my purse and my keys along with it.

_Great, 150 dollar purse, gone! _Why_ did I let Alice talk me into buy that?_

Wait, Alice! She has a spare key!

I quickly made my way over to Alice's and started pounding on the door. Along with my keys I was getting answers about last night.

After a few moments it was Jasper who opened the door.

I must have been giving him a death glare, because as soon as he looked at me his eyes went wide and fearful.

"Where is she?" I said slowly through my teeth.

"L-living room." He said letting me in.

I stormed past him making my way to the living room where I found Alice curled up into a ball on the couch.

_She's hung over. Surprise, surprise._

She slowly raised her head to look at me and got that same fearful look in her eyes.

"I'm in trouble aren't I?" She asked quietly.

"What happened?" I said slowly.

"Bella, I swear, I don't remember much from last night."

"I don't either!" I snapped.

"Ok, ok." She said, slowly sitting up. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh," _Crap, what do I remember? _"I remember getting to the club and taking a round of shots."

She stared at me.

"That's it?" She finally asked.

I shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Okay then. Well, do you remember Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome? His name was Edward."

I gave a short laugh. "Yeah, I remember him."

"Well, he came over and started talking to us, mostly you; we all kept drinking… mostly you again. Then Rose and I left you two and started dancing, a little while later you found us and said you were leaving to work on your wedding. That's all I know."

As Alice's words sunk in, I started to remember a bit more.

_Flashback_

"_I just wanna get married, ya know." I said swaying in my seat. "I mean, I've already waited like… 5 years." I said waving my hand in Edward's face._

This was after Alice and Rose had left and definitely after _way_ too many drinks.

"_I understand." He said… at least I think he did, his speech was pretty slurred._

"_Yeah?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Yeah. I mean, I don't wanna wait. I don't want the big wedding Alice _told _me I had to have. I don't wanna be surrounded by a couple _hundred _people I've never met, all of them crying for no apparent reason. I just… don't."_

"_Well, then don't. Go get married without all of that. Hell, you could even do it tonight if you wanted to, why not?" He said, downing another shot._

"_Yeah, why not tonight, why not right now?"_

"_Exactly, I could even help you if you want."_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Yeah, okay. I'll go tell the girls. Be right back. Just hold on." I said as I left._

Note to self: Never drink again.

I groaned as I sat down next to Alice, putting my head in my hands.

It wasn't until I heard Alice gasp that I realize my newest mistake.

I left my ring on.

I slowly looked up from my hands to see Alice with a shocked look on her face.

"Bella," she gasped. "You… did you… you didn't, did you?"

I bit my lip and Alice took that as her answer.

"Bella!" She yelled. "Bella, how could you."

"I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Bella," she whined, "Was there something wrong with the wedding? I mean, if there was something you didn't like you could have just told me, you didn't have to run off and elope with Jake."

"I know, I know, I'm sor-… wait… what?"

_She thinks that I… with… oh man, this was gonna be harder than I thought._

"Alice, no," I said. "Jake and I, we didn't get married last night."

She gave me a confused look. "But that ring, it's different."

"Yes."

"But _why?_ I thought you liked your engagement ring. Why did Jake get you a new one?"

_Yeah, _a lot_ harder than I thought._

I sighed. "Alice, Jake didn't give me this ring. I did get married last night, but I didn't marry Jake."

"What?" She asked as her eyes went wide. "It wasn't… then who?"

"Edward."

"Tall, Dark and Handsome? You married Tall, Dark and Handsome? You're Mrs. Tall, Dark and Handsome now?"

"Yes, yes and yes."

"Oh my god," she said laying back down on the couch. "_Why?_"

"I-I don't know," I said on the verge of tears. "We were drunk, I was talking about how I didn't wanna wait to get married, he said he could help and it just happened." By then I really was crying.

"What are you going to do?" She asked sitting back up.

"Well, I'm gonna call Carlisle, see if he can get some divorce papers started."

Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme have been friends - and practically family - with my parents since before I was born. He's a lawyer and she's his secretary. If anyone could help me now, it was them.

"And I have to talk to Jake," I continued. "I obviously can't get married tomorrow, so I'll have to tell him the truth, as hard as that may be."

"Do you still wanna marry Jake?" She asked.

"What?!" I yelled. "Of course I do! I love him!"

She put her hands in the air. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

I sighed, buried my head in my arms and started crying again.

"I know you love Jake," Alice said while rubbing my back. "I'm sorry."

"I know," I said while wiping the tears off my face. "I didn't mean to snap, I'm sorry. It's just…" I sighed. "It's just been a long day… already."

"I know, sweetie," she said pulling me into a hug. "I know."

I couldn't stop myself from breaking down. I cried for the mess I'd put myself in, I cried for the hurt and shame I'm sure both my family and Jake's will feel, and I cried for Jake, my Jake. The one who has love me unconditionally for the past 5 years, the one who loved me so much he wanted to spend every day with me for the rest of his life.

The one I've now hurt and betrayed who would have every right to never forgive me.

"What am I going to do Alice?" I finally managed to say. "I love Jake so much. He's gonna hate me when I tell him."

"No he won't. He loves you, he'll understand."

"You don't know that."

"Of course I do!" She said as she pulled away to look me in the eyes. "I'm Alice, I know all."

I gave a shaky laugh as she grinned.

"Now," she started while grabbing my shoulders. "You're gonna borrow my car and go talk to Jake, right now, no arguments, okay?"

"Okay." I said while we got up and walked to the door. "I need to borrow your copy of my house key anyway since I lost my purse sometime last night."

"WHAT?!" She yelled. "Not that little black one!"

"I'm afraid so." I shrugged.

"Oh Bella," she said, pulling me into another hug. "This _has_ been a rough day for you."

I couldn't help but laugh as I said goodbye to Alice and got in the car.

_It'll probably be a while before I get a chance to laugh again._


	7. Chapter 6: Where Do We Go From Here?

_**i don't own twilight... i don't own the characters...**_ _**i don't own really anything at all**_

_**it took me a little while to figure out how exactly i wanted this chapter to go... but i finally did.. and i'm happy with it.. hope you like it too :)  
**_

* * *

Chapter 6: Where Do We Go From Here?

**BPOV**

I was so nervous I shook the whole hour long drive to Jake's shop.

Jake started up a custom car shop just after we met and it quickly became well known through out the area.

Having to talk to him at the shop, of all places, made me feel even worse. He told me after he proposed, that the reason why he waited 4 years to ask was because he wanted to get the shop off the ground so he could support me and any family we may have. He said he wanted to feel worthy of me.

_How could I do this to him?_

When I finally pulled up to the shop, I couldn't move.

I tried to think of ways I could tell him, but they never sounded right. Then again, something like this isn't supposed to sound right. It's not supposed to be said at all.

Finally getting some feeling back into my legs, I took off my ring and put it in my pocket. He wasn't going to find out like Alice did. He didn't deserve that.

When I walked into the shop I was greeted by Jake's friend and co-owner of the shop, Sam.

"Hey Bella, what brings you in?"

"Hey Sam, I'm here to see Jake, is he in his office?"

"Sure is. He'll be happy to see you." He said leaning in. "He hasn't shut up about tomorrow all week. I've had a few guys threaten to quit," he whispered with a laugh.

_Ouch._

I gave a small smile. "Thanks Sam."

"No problem Bella," he said, patting me on the shoulder as I walked away.

The closer I got to the door, the harder my heart started to pound.

_I have to tell him. I have to tell him. _I chanted in my head. _He _has _to know._

When I finally made it to his office door, I lightly knocked and poked my head in.

"Can I come in?" I asked quietly.

He looked up from the papers on his desk as a huge, heart breaking smile spread across his face.

"Bells! You know you don't have to ask," he said, getting up from his desk. "Come in, come in."

I slowly slipped through the door as he came around the desk and swept me up into a bone crushing hug.

"Just one more day," he whispered, kissing my hair. "Just one more day."

_Tell him!_ My head screamed. _Tell him now before it's…_

"Come sit down," he said, leading me over to the chairs in front of his desk.

… _Too late._

"So," he said while sitting down on top of his desk. "What brings you in?"

"Um," I squeaked. "I… uh…"

_Now, say it now!_

I stuttered while my mouth went dry, my stomach knotted up and my heart threatened to pound out of my chest.

"I-I… um… I-I was…w-wondering how your day has been."

_That was pathetic, even for you._

He groaned and rubbed his hand over his face.

_Oh no._

"It's been… a day," he laughed. "I've had a few people complain about how long their car is taking. I had a few manufactures call to say they've discontinued parts that I have five cars waiting for. Plus I got a couple recalls first thing this morning."

He leaned forward and placed a light kiss on my lips.

"But my day _did_ just get a lot better."

After that I could no longer hold back the tears and I started to cry uncontrollably.

"Bells?" Jake said, tilting my head so we looked into each other's eyes. "Bella, what's wrong?"

"Oh Jake," I cried. "I messed up, I messed up really bad."

He placed his hands on either side of my face.

"Bella, talk to me. What happened?"

"I don't… I don't know where to start."

"Start from the beginning," he said, wiping the tears off my face. "Please?"

I took a deep breath. _He has to know._

"Alice, Rose and I went out last night and…" my voice cracked.

_Deep breath Bella, you can do this._

"Go on," he encouraged.

"There was… this guy. He came over… and started talking to us."

I heard Jake take a sharp breath.

_He's gonna hate me. You have to do this. You have to tell him._

I took another deep breath and continued.

"We were all drinking… so much… too much." I broke down again. "I'm sorry. It was… a misunderstanding… a mistake, a huge mistake."

"Bella," he said, his voice cracking. "What are you saying?"

"That guy… I-I married him… I married that guy. I swear I didn't mean to," I sobbed.

Pain and sadness flashed across his face, across my Jake's face, my poor Jake. I've hurt him so badly. He looked so broken and it was all my fault.

He let go of my face and leaned back on his desk. My heart broke even more at the loss of contact.

_You deserve this._

"You," he cleared his throat. "You…m_-married_ him?"

I gave a weak nod.

"I-I know I don't deserve it… but… _please_ believe me when I say… I didn't mean to… and that I really do love you."

He sighed. "And… what are you going to do… a-about… this?"

"I'm going to call Carlisle, get a divorce started, and get this over with as soon as possible."

"And _He's_ okay with this?"

"Yes," I nodded. "Completely."

He sighed again and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Okay."

"Wh-what?" I gasped.

"Okay," he repeated. "I believe you."

I sat there stunned. _Is he… no… he can't be._

"I-I don't understand."

"Bella," he said, kneeling in front of me. "I believe you when you say it was a mistake. I believe you when you say you're sorry and I believe you when you say you love me, you've never been a good liar," he gave a short laugh. "I still love you and I hope _you_ believe _that._"

"But," I said, shaking my head. "You should hate me."

"Bells," he said, taking my hands. "Tell me, if the roles were reversed, if _I_ was the one to marry someone else by mistake, a drunken mistake, and I came to you, telling you how sorry I was and how much I still love you, would _you_ understand? Would _you_ forgive me? Would _you_ still want to marry me?"

"Of course, in a heartbeat."

"Then why is it so hard to believe that I would do the same for you?" He laughed. "I mean it, I love you… and… if you'll still have me… I still want to marry you."

"I do, I really do."

He placed a light kiss on each of my knuckles. "Then we will. When this is over, we will."

He placed another kiss on my forehead and looked into my eyes. "We're gonna get through this Bells. I promise you, we will."

"Oh Jake," I cried, throwing my arms around him and hugging him with all of my strength. "I don't deserve you, I really don't deserve you."

"Bella," he said, pulling away. "I don't wanna hear you say that anymore. You're an amazing, beautiful woman that I'm so lucky and so happy to have. You made a mistake, so what, people make mistakes. But it's how we handle them that define what type of people we are, and you're handling this so well. You're even more amazing than I thought and that's saying something. I love you and _nothing_ will change that."

I was hit with another round of tears. I wanted so badly to tell him how much I love him back, but I couldn't find my voice. Instead, I lightly touched his face, running my hand along his cheek, hoping he would understand what I couldn't say. By the look on his face, he did.

"I know," he said with a smile.

I threw my arms around him again and let loose all the built up tears.

_He still loves me. By some strange miracle, he still loves me and still wants to marry me._

"Now," he said, pulling away again and placing his hands back on my face. "Go home, call Carlisle and get that divorce started. The sooner that's over, the sooner we can start our lives together. I'll start calling everyone, tell them about tomorrow and then after work I'll stop by your place and we'll watch movies and pig out on pizza," he laughed. "Sound good?"

_Everyone. _I forgot about having to tell them. _What will they say?_

"Jake no, it's my fault. I'm the one that should tell everyone."

He sighed. "No, the only thing I want you to worry about is calling Carlisle. We don't have to tell everyone _everything_;we don't have to tell _anyone_ everything. I'll just tell them that we're rescheduling the wedding and that's it. That's all they need to know."

"Thank you Jake, thank you so much. I really don't deserve you."

He rolled his eyes. "Bella," He sighed, shaking his head. "I thought I told you not to say that," He laughed.

He lightly pulled me into a kiss, both of us putting all of our feelings in it, only breaking to breathe.

"I love you, Bella Swan. And one day, you'll be my wife."

"I love you too, and I can't wait."

We both stood up and Jake held my hand as he walked me out to the car.

"So," he started after helping me in. "What's his name?"

"Uh…"

_Is he really asking me this?_

"E-Edward, Edward Masen."

"Oh," he sighed, looking disappointed. "He's not a client."

I laughed. "Would you have done something to his car if he was?"

He gave me a sheepish grin. "I might have thought about it."

"Jake," I said, pointing my finger at him. "Behave."

"Oh alright," he said with his best puppy dog face.

"So I'll see you later?" He asked after a minute of us laughing.

"Definitely."

"Good," he said leaning in and kissing my cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

I waved goodbye and pulled out of the parking lot, feeling better than I had all day.

_He forgave me. He still loves me._

* * *

_**the next chapter shouldn't take too long... i already have a good chunk of it written... plus Edward will be back.. and i seem to write faster when he's in the chapter... go figure :D**_


	8. Chapter 7: No Super Hero

_**i own nothing**_

**_2 words... writer's - block... i tried.. i really did.. but nothing ever sounded right .. now i'm finally happy with it and i hope it makes up for the wait.. i think this might be my favorite chapter.. mostly because of a part at the end :D_**

**_enjoy :)_**

* * *

Chapter 7: No Super Hero

**BPOV**

I can't even begin to describe how happy I felt on the drive home.

The sun wasn't shinning, in fact it was starting to downpour: That didn't matter.

The radio didn't play one song I liked: That didn't matter.

I got stuck in 3pm traffic 10 minutes from home: That didn't matter.

Jake forgave me.

He still loves me.

He still wants to marry me.

That mattered.

Just as I was about to turn onto my street, the clouds started to clear off, the radio started to play my favorite song and that strange, empty feeling I've had since I was in the elevator at Edward's apartment, was gone. I felt better than I had all day.

As my house came into view, I noticed an unfamiliar silver car parked in my drive way.

_I don't know anyone with a car like that._ I thought as I parked behind the mystery car.

I was so caught up in trying to figure out whose car it was, that I nearly jumped out of my seat when the driver stepped out.

Edward.

Wait.

Edward?

_How does he know where I live?_

I sat there in shock as he slowly walked up to my car with a small, sheepish smile.

When he reached my door, I shook my head a little and rolled down my window.

"Hi," he said quietly.

"U-um… Hi," I somehow managed to say. "H-how… how did you…"

"Oh um," he held up my missing black purse. "You forgot this at my place. I had to look inside though, so I could find your address," he said with a nervous smile. "I hope you don't mind."

"Oh! No, I don't mind at all. Thank you. I thought I lost it," I said while turning to unbuckle myself.

When I turned back I found Edward holding my door open, smiling that crooked smile that made my heart start to beat faster.

_Stop it Bella._

I gave him a small 'thank you' smile and – in true Bella Swan fashion – proceeded to fall out of the car.

I closed my eyes bracing for the impact, when instead I felt a pair of arms wrap around me.

I looked up and got locked in Edward's worried eyes.

"Are you ok?" He asked as he helped me stand up.

"Yeah… uh… thank you," I said while blushing. "Wow. You drive across town, just to give me my purse back. You hold the door open for me and catch me when I fall. You're like a modern day super hero or something," I laughed.

"I'm no super hero," he said with a sad smile.

"Oh? Then what are you?"

He gave a short humorless laugh. "The bad guy, today I feel like the bad guy."

I sighed. "You're not. What happened last night…" I trailed off, sighing again. "I-it's ok. It doesn't matter. Everything's ok now."

"So you talked to your fiancé?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's where I just came from."

"And he…?"

"He's forgiven me," I finished. "Completely and unbelievably, he's forgiven me. I swear I'll never understand him," I laughed.

"That's good. I'm happy for you," he said with a small smile.

"Thanks," I said, looking down at me feet.

After a moment of awkward silence with neither one of us looking at each other, Edward broke the silence by clearing his throat.

"So um… I guess I'll be going then."

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop the depressing feeling from spreading through out my body.

_Stop him! _My head screamed.

What?

Why?

_Why not?_

No!

Jake, remember Jake!

"Um… bye," he said with an awkward wave, walking toward his car.

"Wait," I yelled before I could stop myself. "Uh… look… traffic is really bad right now, so if you want, you can come inside and hang out for a little bit… until it gets better… if you want."

_Real smooth Bella._

Can't you say anything to him without rambling?

_Of course not! He's gorgeous!_

Stop it!

Great, now I'm arguing with myself in third person. This guy is making me insane.

"Okay," he said, snapping my out of my inner mental breakdown and flashing that damn crooked smile again.

"Okay," I said, walking up to my door.

We made our way inside and once again found ourselves in awkward silence.

"Um," he started, breaking the silence once again. "Did you get a hold of your friend?"

_Friend, which friend?_

"The um… lawyer," he answered my unasked question.

"Oh! No, I didn't. Um, I'll call him now," I said, digging my phone out of my purse.

I scrolled through my address list until 'Cullen-Home' was highlighted.

As soon as I hit send, I realized I had no idea what to say.

**Ring.**

_Hi Carlisle, it's Bella. I was wondering if you could help me get a divorce. No, not Jake, some guy I met last night._

No.

**Ring.**

_Hey Carlisle, it's me, Bella. Guess what! I'm married! Now I need a divorce._

No, definitely not.

**Ring.**

_What do I say? What do I say?_

By the fourth ring, my heart was pounding.

Fifth ring, I couldn't breathe.

Sixth ring, I had almost decided to hang up, when I heard the ringing cut off.

"_Hi, you've reached the Cullen's. We can't come to the phone right now, but leave a message and we'll call you back. Bye!"_ I heard Esme's voice say.

_Great._

I waited for the beep and left my message.

"Um, hi Carlisle, it's Bella. Uh… I need your help with something. So if you could call me back as soon as possible, I'd really appreciate it. Bye."

_There. That was simple enough. _I thought as I hung up.

I looked over to Edward, who was still standing awkwardly by the door.

"Answering machine," I said.

He gave a small nod and once again we were left in silence.

_This is getting old._

This time it was my turn to break the silence.

"So um… do you want something to drink? I'm pretty sure I've got some Pepsi."

"Sure. Thanks," he said with _his_ smile.

We walked into the kitchen and I grabbed out 2 cans of Pepsi from the fridge.

"We can go sit in the living room if you want," I said.

"Okay," he said, still smiling.

I lead the way into the living room, awkwardly pointing to the couch.

"Have a seat."

"Thanks," he said as he sat down and took a drink.

I watched as time seemed to slow down while he licked his lips.

_Snap out of it Bella! Jake just forgave you, don't push it! Stop staring before he catches you!_

"What?" Edward asked with a raised eyebrow. _Too late._

"N-nothing," I said, walking away to sit in a chair across the room. I sat there trying to figure out what just came over me.

_Stop it, stop it, stop it! Focus on Jake. You love Jake. Stop thinking about this Greek God, with a dazzling tongue, who you just happen to be married to. _

Gah, no!

I groaned and put my head in my hands.

"Something wrong?"

I lifted my head and glared at him. "Did you really just ask me that?"

He raised his hands. "Sorry."

I sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap, it just…"

"I know," he said with a comforting but still crooked smile. I couldn't help but smile back.

"So," I said, sitting up straighter in my chair. "Tell me about yourself."

"What?" he laughed.

"Tell me a bit about you," I said again. "I mean, you are my husband after all, I should at least know who you are."

"Okay, um… my name is Edward Anthony Masen. I'm 28. I'm a waiter at _La Bella Italia…_ and that's about it," he finished with a laugh. "What about you?"

I told him my name, my age and my job. We talked for hours about our friends, family, past jobs, where we've lived before, everything. I never felt more comfortable talking to anyone, than I did with him.

We were laughing at my stories about Alice and her shopping obsession, when there was a knock at the door.

* * *

_**sorry for the cliffhanger... it was the only stopping point that worked... next chapter, Edward will meet who is at the door**_


	9. Chapter 8: Meeting

_**i don't own twilight, pepsi, or Edward's dazzling tongue**_

_**this update is kinda short.. and the next few updates will most likely be short as well... but because they're short they shouldn't take too long to write.. in fact the next chapter is almost done  
**_

_**however, my town is supposed to be getting a bad ice storm thursday and they're expecting the entire area to lose power.. so if i don't lose power, the next update should be up soon.. if i do, it might take a little longer.. fingers crossed for power  
**_

* * *

Chapter 8: Meeting

**EPOV**

I felt like a stalker sitting outside her house, wondering if she was home or not and trying to gather up the courage to find out.

I felt like a creep when I told her I went through her purse.

She would have had every right to yell at me and tell me to leave her alone.

A _very small_ part of me even wanted her to.

But she didn't.

Instead, she invited me in and we talked for hours.

We talked about anything and everything. Nothing was off limits.

I hardly ever talk to anyone, not even James.

What happens in my life is my business. No one else needs to be burdened with my stories.

But still, I wanted to know everything about her and – oddly enough – I wanted her to know everything about me.

She made me feel that comfortable.

_Stop it! She's engaged to someone else._

"_But she married _you," James' earlier words rang through my head.

No, I won't let myself think like that.

What is wrong with me?

I've only known her for a few hours and already I'm losing my mind.

I should have left after I gave her back her purse.

I should have left after the first hour of talking.

I should leave now.

But I can't.

Now matter how hard I've tried, I'm still sitting here.

Every time she laughs, every time she smiles, she pulls me back in.

And I'm letting her.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my Bella induced haze and back to reality.

"Maybe I should go," I offered.

"No, I'm sure it's nothing. I'll be right back," she said while leaving the room to answer the door.

I sat there in the quiet living room listening to her open the door, while a man's voice broke the silence.

"Hey Bells. Pizza is on the way. I got you your _plain_ cheese and I got my… everything," he laughed as he walked into the living room, stopping only when he saw me.

I sat there, frozen in fear.

This guy was _huge, _much taller than me and much more built than I've ever seen anyone.

"Who's he?" he asked Bella.

"This is Edward," she said slowly with panic in her eyes – which did nothing to calm my nerves.

"Ah," he said with a smile scarier than any scary movie I've ever seen before. "So you're the Edward that married my fiancé," he finished as he held out his hand.

I suddenly realized who he was.

Jake.

_The_ Jake.

_I'm in trouble._

"You must be Jake," I said, standing up and taking his hand. "Nice to meet you."

_Be nice, perhaps if you're nice he won't hurt you too much._

He shook my hand with so much force I almost lost my balance.

"Oh no," he said with a grin. "The pleasure is all mine."

Before I realized it, he let go of my hand and punched me across my face, sending me to the floor.

_I deserved that._

"JAKE!" I heard Bella yell.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"It's ok, really," I said, standing up while rubbing my face.

_That's gonna leave a mark._

"No, it's not," she said, throwing Jake a glare. "Jake, go outside, we need to talk. Edward," she turned to look at me, her eyes softening. "There's an ice pack in the freezer, help yourself."

She turned back to Jake and started to drag him outside.

If it wasn't for my face feeling like it was splitting in half, I would have laughed at little Bella dragging Jake's massive frame out the door.

* * *

_**for the record... **__**most of you probably don't like that Jake hit Edward... i understand.. i didn't really like it either.. but he had to have his 'macho' moment... so hopefully the next chapter will make up for it**_


	10. Chapter 9: Good Person?

_**I don't own twilight.**_

_**i was relieved to see that most of you were ok with the Jake/Edward fight (if you can call it that)... everything that happens in this story happens for a reason.. and this chapter will show a bit of that :)**_

* * *

Chapter 9: Good Person?

**BPOV**

I forgot he was coming.

_How_ could I forget he was coming?

I told Edward to grab an ice pack out of the freezer and started to drag Jake outside.

"How could you?" I yelled once we were through the door.

"Excuse me?" He yelled back.

"You had no right to do that. He's done nothing wrong!"

"_Nothing_ wrong?" he laughed. "You don't _honestly_ believe that, do you?"

"Jake," I sighed. "It's not _all_ his fault. I was there too, ya know."

"I know! Trust me, I know!"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears from falling.

_I knew_ _he couldn't forgive me that easily._

"He's a good person, Jake. I mean, he's being really kind and…" I trailed off. "He did not deserve what you just did to him."

"I'm sorry Bella," he said, looking down at his feet. "But I'm having a hard time believing that someone, who gets drunk and marries the first person they see, is a 'Good Person'"

Ouch.

That time, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop the tears from coming.

"Then what does that make me?" I whispered.

His head snapped up and I watched as the anger in his eyes melted away and was replaced with regret and sadness.

"Oh Bells," he said. "That's not what I meant, that's not what I meant at all. It's just… I… I'm having a hard time with all of this."

"_You're_ having a hard time with this?" I yelled. "This isn't easy for me too, you know!"

"I know. I'm sorry. This isn't coming out right," he said, burying his hands in his hair.

"Jake," I sighed. "Just… go home."

"Bells," he started.

"Please," I said, cutting him off. "I just… need some time to think… and I think you do too."

"Okay," he said as he walked towards his car. "I love you, Bells."

I didn't trust my voice so I just nodded.

_This can't be happening._ I thought as Jake drove away. _It's not supposed to be like this._

I slowly made my way inside and found Edward standing in the kitchen doorway, holding an ice pack down by his side.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, walking over to him, taking the ice pack and gently placing it on his face. "How are you?"

He winced. "I'm fine, really."

"I'm so sorry about Jake. I didn't think he'd ever…"

"Bella," he cut me off. "Don't worry about it."

"I do worry about it. I mean, this isn't like him."

"Bella."

"I knew he'd be mad, but this…" I continued to ramble.

"Bella," he tried again.

"This is unbelievable. This is… this is just…"

"Bella!" he said, placing his finger on my lips. "Stop, it's ok… _really_."

I wanted to argue with him. I tried to argue with him, but I couldn't.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't breathe.

He was so _close_.

His bright green eyes were so intense; it was sending chills down my spine.

And I liked it.

The little voice in my head that usually screamed at me to run away and remember Jake fell silent.

It felt so right.

His finger slowly slipped from my lips to under my chin, lifting it up gently.

We stood there in the quiet room just looking into each other's eyes, unable to look away.

Before I realized it, our faces were closer. I was so lost in his eyes; I didn't realize we were slowly moving toward the other.

Closer and closer we moved until our lips were so close; I could almost feel… some sort of… static between them.

_This isn't right, you barely know him._

But I felt like I did.

I had finally decided to close the gap when…

**RING!**

… My phone interrupted.

We each jumped a foot away from each other and stood there, panting with wide eyes.

As I was pulled back into reality, I realized how close we were and the small voice in my head decided to talk again.

_What are you doing?!_

"I um," he gasped. "I-I better go."

Before I could say anything, he was out the door and I heard his car door slam shut.

I stumbled over to my phone, more confused than ever.

I loved Jacob. That I didn't doubt. We needed to talk and sort things out, but I still loved him. A part of me still wanted to marry him.

But there was something about Edward.

Something neither one of us could control.

The way he looked at me, whether he knew it or not, was different than any way anyone has ever looked at me.

I didn't want to lose either of them.

I'd never felt more selfish in my life.

Maybe Jake was right.

Maybe I'm not a good person.


	11. Chapter 10: Strange Feelings

_**i don't own Twilight or anything that has to do with Twilight**_

_**this chapter was not supposed to take this long and i'm sorry it did.. i ended up writing 6 different beginnings before it finally sounded right.. hopefully it's worth the wait :)**_

* * *

Chapter 10: Strange Feelings

**EPOV**

I'm a horrible person, a monster.

I've made so many mistakes in the last 24 hours, I've lost count.

And my stupid mistakes are ruining Bella's life.

I stood there in Bella's kitchen listening to her and Jake fight, hating myself more with every word. I don't think they realized they were fighting right in front of the window next to the freezer, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't walk away.

I stood there listening to her voice break slightly. I'm not sure if either of them noticed it, but I did. I thought I couldn't hate myself any more than I already did, but hearing the small crack in her voice, knowing she was in pain and that it was my fault, proved me wrong.

I stood there with a strange mix of overwhelming emotions, most I didn't recognize. Bella has made me feel things I've never felt before, both good and bad.

I stood there as Jake left.

I stood there as Bella cried.

I just… stood there; my mind in a haze of anger and guilt.

I don't remember deciding to leave.

I don't remember walking out of the kitchen.

But I _do_ remember meeting Bella by the door.

I _do_ remember her trying to take the blame for my long forgotten black eye.

The haze started to lift as I placed my finger on her lips, stopping her rant, followed by a shock that ran throughout my body.

My breathing hitched as I felt her shiver beneath my finger.

Without thinking I moved my finger to her chin, tilting it up so I could look deeper into her eyes.

It made my heart break to see her eyes slightly bloodshot from crying, and yet, I couldn't find any sadness in them, just… wonder and… anticipation.

I couldn't stop myself from moving closer to her… and she didn't either.

My heart was pounding and my vision was blurry from lack of breathing, but her eyes remained clear. It was as if they were the only things in the world.

I stopped moving when our lips were barely touching, deciding to not push her, to let her close the gap.

I could have sworn I saw a brief flash of determination in her eyes before the phone rang, breaking us apart.

We stood there a moment, panting, her eyes a mix of shock and confusion.

The weight of my actions suddenly hit me and I did the only thing I could think of.

I ran.

I ran away from Bella instead of talking to her when she needed it the most.

I just left her standing there, alone.

As I drove, I turned around multiple times, but never let myself go all the way back.

I had to finally accept it.

I was falling for her.

Even if I didn't believe it.

Even if I barely knew her.

Even if I was ruining her life.

I was.

And I hated myself for it.

Something like this would only make things harder for her.

She would, no doubt, stay with Jacob, but feel guilty about not being able to return my feelings for her. It's just who she is.

And that made me feel worse.

I knew what I had to do.

I had to let go of my pride and do the one thing I promised myself – just hours ago – that I wouldn't do.

It was my only choice.

I'd never hear the end of it, but Bella was worth it.

I pulled up to my apartment building, practically shaking from the wide range of strange feelings I've felt all day.

_You can do this. It's for Bella._ I thought as I walked into the elevator.

When the elevator reached my floor I ran to my apartment and threw my door open before I backed out.

_Wait, Victoria is supposed to be here. Oh no, no way. I am _not_ walking in on them again. That is the last thing I need right now.  
_

"James?" I yelled.

"Kitchen," I heard him yell back.

I carefully made my way over to the kitchen, finding James alone and – thank god – fully clothed, making a bowl of cereal.

"Hey man," he said, giving me a quick glance before doing a double take.

_Oh right, my face._

"Whoa, Dude. What happened to your face?"

"Oh uh… Bella's fiancé… hit me. Where's Victoria?" I quickly asked.

"What? Oh, Vikki? She's working."

"Working?" I asked. "I thought you said she was coming over."

"Yeah, um… I-I kinda just said that so you'd go and talk to your wife," he finished quietly before changing the subject. "So, who's Bella?"

"Bella is… my wife." I said slowly.

_I liked that more than I should have._

"Oh, that explains why you got hit," James said while getting a better look at my face. "Wow, he does nice work."

"James, can you please try to focus?" I snapped. "I need your help."

"My help?" he asked. "With what?"

I sighed.

"I need a plan."


	12. Chapter 11: On Edge

**_still don't own twilight or anything at all_**

**_not much to say about this chapter.. but i wanna send out a BIG thank you to everyone who's reading... i hope you're enjoying reading it as much as i am writing it :)_**

* * *

Chapter 11: On Edge

**BPOV**

Saturday was the longest day of my life.

When I finally shook myself out of the haze Edward left me in, I answered the phone with a small 'Hello.'

"Bella?" I heard my dad ask. "Bella, are you alright? I just got a message from Jake saying you were postponing the wedding and you sound like you're about to faint. What's going on?"

_Oh crap, Charlie!_

I couldn't tell him the truth. That would just make things worse.

"Oh… um… yeah dad, uh, Alice just didn't think things would be ready in time… and… well… you know how she is."

_Please let him believe that._

"Oh," he sighed, sounding relieved. "That… that makes sense. You had me worried there for a minute." He finished with a laugh.

Charlie had been friends with Jacob's dad, Billy, since before either of us was born. It was their dream come true, for us to get married.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's… fine."

I'm a horrible liar, but thankfully he didn't question it.

"Okay, that's good. Well uh… I gotta get back to work… so um. You-you take care of yourself alright," he said in true Charlie fashion.

"Okay dad, bye."

"Bye Bells." I heard him say quickly before he hung up.

Well that's one awkward conversation down. Unfortunately I had a feeling that, that would be the easiest one.

Charlie was never one to pry. He believed what he wanted to believe and left things the way they were.

My mother, however, was a different story.

She's been trying to change my mind about the marriage since we announced we were engaged over a year ago.

She had nothing against Jake, just everything against marriage.

"_Why do you need to be married to spend the rest of your life with someone? Why can't you do it anyway?" _She always told me.

After the failure of her first marriage with Charlie, she's been reluctant to try again. Even though her boyfriend of almost 15 years, Phil, keeps telling her they should get married – _"Why not?" _he'd say – she stands her ground and he lets the subject drop.

She _will not_ believe me when I say that after a year of waiting, a year of constantly talking about how excited I was, I just _let_ Alice tell me to wait… again.

I sighed as I walked back into the living room, taking the seat where Edward sat just a little bit ago.

It _still_ _smelled _like him. The scent was faint but still there.

I groaned as I placed my face in my hands.

I was sitting there wallowing when my traitor heart jumped at a knock on the door.

_He came back! Edward came back!_ My mind raced, before I could stop it._ He _must _feel something too! I can't be the only one!_

I ran to the door and threw it open with the biggest smile on my face…

… Only to be disappointed.

"Um… Hi," said the kid who was delivering the pizzas Jake ordered. "Uh, I-I've got an order for… Black? Is this the right place?" he asked.

"Oh um, yeah," I said, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. "Just um… just let me get my purse."

I turned around, grabbed my purse and couldn't help but think about how Edward had just brought it back to me.

Before I could stop myself, I tried to discreetly sniff it to see if it smelled like him too.

It did.

And as sad as it was, I almost couldn't pull myself away from the scent so I could pay for the pizzas.

_Stop it! Stop it, what is wrong with you?!_

I finally paid the kid and took the 2 extra large pizzas – that I wouldn't eat – into the kitchen, placing them in the fridge.

I went back into the living room, flopped down onto the couch – that still smelled like Edward – and started flipping through the channels on the T.V.

I felt my eyelids start to get heavy after the first 20 channels and after only 5 more, I gave in and let them close.

---

_I stood at the bottom of the steps looking up at the large, intimidating, white building with wide eyes._

_My stomach was in knots, my hands were sweaty and shaking._

_And I had no idea why._

_I saw a figure standing at the top of the steps and decided to ask them if they knew what was happening._

_It seemed like I only took one step before I was at the top, staring into the eyes of the other person._

"_Dad?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I'm so proud of you Bells," he said as he took my hands, placed a light kiss on my forehead and brought me to his side. "Are you ready?"_

_Before I could ask what I was supposed to be ready for, the big oak doors in front of us swung open, revealing a darkened aisle. The seats beside it were full of people but their faces were hidden in the shadows._

_We were a few steps in when I felt a strange pull start drag me inside._

_I gave in to the pull, letting it lead me towards the end, where I noticed another darkened figure standing with their back to me._

_Suddenly, I felt another pull start work against the first one, pulling me back towards the door._

_But I wanted to continue walking forward. I wanted to know what was at the end making me feel this way._

_I _had_ to know._

_The first pull continued pulling me forward as the second started to lose it strength._

_As I got closer to the end, light started to pour over it, but still not enough for me to tell who was standing there._

_I was a few feet away when the second pull disappeared completely and I started to run towards the end._

_I was close now._

_I was finally going to find out what was going on._

_I was so close._


	13. Chapter 12: Girl Talk

**_i own nothing_**

**_over the next few chapters the story will start pick up.. i'm really excited about finally being able to move things forward and that's helping me write a lot.. so hopefully there won't be a long waiting gap between the next few chapters :)  
_**

* * *

Chapter 12: Girl Talk

**BPOV**

"Bella!"

"AHH!" I screamed as I was awoken from my bizarre dream by Alice.

"A-Alice? W-what… how… how did you get in here?" I stuttered as I tried to wake up.

She shrugged. "I used the key you gave Rose, since you still have mine."

"What? Alice, I told you guys to use those in case of emergencies, not to walk in when ever you wanted and scare the hell out of me."

"It is an emergency," Rosalie said, coming around the couch to stand by Alice. "Emmett and Jasper won't let either of us come home until we get our rings back. Coffee?" she said, holding out a cup for me to take.

"Oh right," I said, taking the coffee and sitting up on the couch. "I forgot we left them here."

"_You _forgot?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow. "How could _you_ forget?"

"I was a little busy yesterday." I snapped.

Alice rolled her eyes. "I know."

"Am I missing something?" Rose asked.

"You didn't tell her?" I asked Alice.

"No," she said slowly as she sat down in the chair by the couch. "I figured you did. And besides, it's your story to tell."

"Never stopped you before." I mumbled.

"Okay, stop!" Rose yelled as Alice stuck her tongue out at me. "Will _somebody_ tell me what's going on?"

"Well Rose," I started. "You've obviously noticed by now that I'm not getting married today-"

"Because she did it Friday night!" Alice interrupted.

"I _thought_ it was _my_ story to tell," I yelled, throwing my hands in the air.

"Well, you were taking too long," Alice shrugged.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rose said as she sat down next to me. "You did _what?_"

"I-"

"Remember that guy that came over and talked to us just after we sat down?" Alice said, interrupting me again.

Rosalie slowly nodded. "Edward. What about him?"

"She married him," she said simply with a nod.

"Alice!" I hissed.

"You _married_ him?" Rose asked with wide eyes. "Why?"

"I don't know," I said slowly. "We just got way too drunk because _somebody,_" I threw a glare at Alice. "Didn't stop me from drinking too much like she _promised_ she would… and it just happened."

"What about Jake?"

"Oh yeah," Alice cut in. "What happened when you talked to Jacob?"

"She already talked to Jacob?" Rosalie asked Alice.

"Guys!" I yelled. "Please! I'm getting there."

I told them about Jake and how he forgave me, and then I told them about how Edward was here when I got home.

"HE WHAT?!" They both yelled.

"Why?!" Alice screeched.

I sighed. "Remember when I told you I lost my purse." She nodded. "Well, I just forgot it at his place, so he brought it back."

"Oh," they said, settling down.

"Well… that was nice of him," Rose finished.

"Yeah," I agreed. "And then Jake came by and thanked him by punching him."

"WHAT?!" they both yelled again.

"What did you do?" Rosalie asked.

I went on telling them about our fight and when I finished, they started yelling rude words about Jacob.

I sat there cringing with my hands over my ears like a little kid as I waited for them to stop.

_Real mature Bella._

"Okay, Okay," Alice said after they stopped yelling. "So, what happened after Jake left?"

"Um…" I blushed.

_Damn my traitor blush._

"Bella," Rosalie smirked. "Did something happen with Edward?"

"Again?!" Alice yelled.

"Uh," I stalled. "Not… not technically."

"Not _technically_? What the hell does that even mean?" Rosalie asked.

"It means… _nothing happened_… I didn't _do_ anything," I defended myself. "But… I… wanted to." I mumbled quietly.

"You _wanted_ to?" said a stunned Alice. "Wanted to what? _Why?!_ You barely know him!"

"I know! But… there's just something about him. I can't think straight when I'm around him."

"So what are you going to do?" Rose asked quietly.

"I don't know," I sighed. "I love Jacob. We've been together for so long; I can't just let all of that go. But, I want to know what it is about Edward, why I can't stop thinking about him and… if he thinks about me too. I'm so confused." I cried.

"Oh Bella," Rose said, rubbing my back. "I can't imagine how hard this must be for you right now, but you're right, you can't just drop everything you had with Jacob, it's not fair to him."

"And Edward?" I asked. "What about him?"

"I think," Alice spoke up. "You need to talk to him. If you're so sure there's something… different… between you two, then he'll feel it too. Ask him about it; ask him if he wants to… learn more… about it... together"

"And if he does?"

"Then," she sighed. "You'll have to decide."

I groaned and buried my head in my hands. "I can't believe this is happening to me. Less than 24 hours ago I wanted nothing to do with Edward and now… now I… I want to know everything about him. I want to know what that strange spark between us is. Literally, it's a spark! It's like static when we touch. I can't stop thinking about it." I gave a humorless laugh. "This is crazy."

I looked up from my hands to find Rosalie and Alice giving each other strange looks.

"What?" I asked, snapping them out of their silent conversation.

"What? Oh, nothing," they both said.

_Weird._

"W-well, um," Rose stuttered.

She _stuttered._

Rosalie Lillian Hale-McCarty _never _stutters.

_Ever._

And she'll be the first to tell you that.

When she has something to say, she says it and means it.

"Yeah, uh… we… should be going." Alice said, jumping up out of her chair. "Where did you put my keys and our rings again?"

"U-um… I put them in the desk by the door, but what-"

"Perfect! We'll get them on the way out," she interrupted _again _as she pulled Rose off the couch and started dragging her to the door.

"Bye Bella!" I heard both of them yell just before the door slammed shut.

_What the hell was that? _I thought as I sat frozen on my couch.

After a few minutes, I was finally able to move again and decided to pick up my usual Sunday routine, trying to act like nothing was wrong.

This weekend was supposed to be the happiest of my life. Instead it's been the most confusing.

I've had more awkward conversations in the last 48 hours than I have my entire life.

But the best was saved for last.

Carlisle called back that afternoon.


	14. Chapter 13: Plans

_**i own nothing**_

_**this chapter is basically a filler... so it's kinda short.. but it needed to happen for the next chapter :)  
**_

* * *

Chapter 13: Plans

**EPOV**

Rule 1.

_Follow her lead. If she wants a friend, be her friend. If she wants more, be more._

Rule 2.

_**Do not**__ force her to do anything. Note: __Suggesting__ is not forcing. – James._

Rule 3.

_**Do not **__stalk her. That includes constantly calling – No matter how much you want to – and showing up randomly at her house. Note: Even though you should. – James._

Rule 4.

_If she says leave her alone, __**leave her alone**__. Don't pressure her. (See previous rules.)_

---

James thought it would be funny to tape the rules onto the mirror in the bathroom.

"_A constant reminder of how stupid you are," _he wrote at the top.

In the end, I didn't let James have too much input on the plan or the rules. His idea of winning Bella over was… well… very James like.

Enough said.

That just didn't seem too romantic or Bella-like to me.

So the plan was to show Bella how much I cared about her…

… Without actually telling her.

Because after the weekend she had, I'm sure me blurting out 'I love you' would not help her any.

That is why I have the rules.

I spent my Sunday thinking about Bella, working, trying to follow the rules, ignoring James, thinking about Bella, actually writing her song while thinking about her again and finally, dreaming about Bella.

It's sad, but it's true.

She consumes my every minute, my every thought now.

Along with constantly thinking about her, I ended up spending a lot of time in my room since my pillows and blankets still smelled like her.

It's sick, but it's also true.

Every time she drifted across my mind, every time I took a breath of her scent, I had to mentally slap myself and repeat the rules in my head.

But no matter how many times I scolded myself, it never stopped.

She was like a drug.

And I was addicted.

Badly.

Monday morning started out the same way Sunday had.

I woke up to Bella's scent, even though it was starting to grow faint, I played piano for a few hours, mostly her song, and then I got ready for work.

But that's where the similarities stopped.

I was just about to leave for work when the phone rang.

_Great, now I'm gonna be late._

"Hello?" I snapped.

"_Edward?_" a small voice answered.

"Bella?" _Shit, of course it had to be her I snapped at._

"_Is this a bad time?_" she asked.

"No! No, I… I'm sorry, I-I just uh... is… is everything alright? Are you ok?" I said as I smacked my forehead.

_Idiot. Idiot. Idiot._

"_Oh, yeah I'm fine. I just… called to tell you that my friend called back. You know… the lawyer._"

"Oh?" I managed to say.

"_Yeah and um… I'm going to meet with him Thursday. He wanted to look over any papers to… you know… check everything out… make sure it's legit._"

I could almost hear her biting her lip.

_Focus Edward._

"Y-yeah… that's… that's probably not a bad idea."

The longer the conversation went on, the more I could feel my plan fall apart.

"_Yeah… but um… I don't have any of them… so…_"

"Oh! Right! Yeah, I um… I just found them yesterday… so uh… do you want me to drop them off?" I said as my heart started to race at the thought of seeing her again.

_It's not breaking rule 3 if she knows, right?_

"_Actually um… I have to get out today anyway… so I can… pick them up._"

"Um," I choked out as my heart instantly stopped. _Damn work._ "I'm… actually… working today… so…"

"_Oh,_" she said, almost sounding… disappointed.

_Quick, fix this!_

"But," I said a little too loud. "I have a half hour break at 2. So, we could meet for a late lunch… and talk… if you want to."

"_Yeah, sure!_" she said with a happier tone. "_It's La Bella Italia, right?_"

"Right!" I squeaked.

That's right.

I _squeaked. _

_Pull yourself together! _My head screamed.

"_So I'll see you at 2?_" she asked.

"Definitely!" I squeaked again.

_Damn it._

"_Okay,_" she laughed. "_I'll see you later._"

"Yeah… see you later." I said as I quickly hung up the phone before I could embarrass myself anymore.

"Was that Bella?" James asked as he came out of his room.

"Yeah," I answered, even though I knew he was listening.

"And?" he pressed.

"I'm gonna meet her during my break for lunch."

He nodded. "So are you still sticking to _your_ plan?"

"Yes James," I rolled my eyes and turned to leave.

"You're an idiot," he yelled as I closed the door.

_I know._


	15. Chapter 14: Waiting

**I own nothing**

**sorry about another long gap... since the next few chapters are kinda important, i decided to take my time writing them**

**the next chapter is pretty much done, so it'll be posted in a day or so :)  
**

* * *

Chapter 14: Waiting

**EPOV**

1:55pm

I never felt more pathetic in my life.

The lunch crowd had finally cleared out so I was left to stand in the kitchen, watching the clock.

For almost 20 minutes I watched every second tick by, each seeming slower than the last.

I spent the time trying to think about what I would say to her and how I would say it.

I wanted to apologize for leaving so suddenly Saturday, but I didn't know how to bring it up without it being awkward.

_Keep it simple, Edward. Follow her lead._

To make matters worse, I forgot to grab the papers she needed and didn't remember until about 15 minutes ago. I ended up calling James and asked him if he could drop them off before she got here. He said he'd try but with only 5 minutes left I was starting to doubt he would make it.

---

**BPOV**

1:56pm

_Pace yourself. Don't look desperate. Not too early, not too late._

It's funny, that's exactly what Alice and Rose always told me to remember when I was dating in high school.

I sat in my car in the parking lot of _La Bella Italia_, staring at the little digital clock on my dashboard as it changed to the next minute.

1:57pm

_3 minutes isn't too early, right?_

I jumped out of my car and practically ran towards the restaurant's entrance.

I couldn't help it.

I… missed him.

I hadn't seen or heard from Jake since Saturday and yet it was Edward I missed.

I didn't want to admit it, but it was true. I felt comfortable around him. And after the way the weekend ended, I needed that comfort.

_How did this happen? How did things change so quickly?_

I must be overreacting. Things didn't change; I'm just… confused and stressed out. There's nothing between Edward and I, there can't be.

I'm with Jake…

… I think.

After our fight Saturday, I wasn't sure if he would still take me back.

My thoughts came to a screeching halt when I collided with someone just outside the doors.

"I'm so sorry," I blushed. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"That's ok, I wasn't either," the man answered.

He had long dirty blonde hair that was pulled back, showing off his crystal blue eyes and start of a beard. He wore a worn brown leather jacket and blue jeans with holes in them.

He was like a dirty version of Edward.

_Stop it! Not everything is about Edward!_

"Um," I cleared my throat. "Did I… I didn't hurt you… did I?"

He laughed. "No. No, I'm fine. Are _you_ okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm used to running into things, so I've gotten pretty tough," I said, embarrassing myself further.

He laughed again and gave me a wide smile that showed off all of his bright white teeth.

"After you," he said, opening the door.

"Thank you."

I was slowly walking up to the seating host when my nerves suddenly came back.

_What if he changed his mind? What if he doesn't want to see me? I should just leave now._

I was about to turn around when the guy I ran into walked around me and spoke up.

"Hi Maggie," he said to the hostess, snapping her attention away from her book.

"Hey James," she replied. "I thought you weren't working today."

"I'm not," he said, giving her a strange look. "Take a guess why I'm here."

Maggie gave a knowing smile and laughed a little.

"Poor guy, he's a wreck back there," she replied.

James laughed and walked past her mumbling, "I know."

She shook her head and turned to look at me. "Hi, table for one?"

_Now or never._

"Um… actually… I'm here to see Edward Masen."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed James stop and turn around.

"You're here to see Edward?" he asked as he walked back towards me.

"Yes," I nodded.

"You're Bella?"

"Yeah."

He smiled and held out his hand. "I'm James, Edward's roommate."

"Oh hi," I said, taking his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. I'll go tell him you're here," he said, turning to leave.

"Th-thank you," I called after him.

Maggie smiled and started walking towards the tables. "Right this way."

---

**EPOV**

2:03pm

_She's late. She's not coming. I should have seen this coming. It's just how my luck is._

I couldn't blame her. I'd stay away from me too.

I paced the kitchen, trying to decide how long to wait until I went out to wait for her by the door.

_No, that would basically break rule 3. I'm not gonna start breaking the rules so soon after I made them._

2:04pm

_What if she's hurt? What if she got in an accident on the way here? It would be my fault if something horrible happened to her._

I was just about to start calling hospitals, when James walked into the kitchen.

"Whoa dude, you look like you're gonna throw up," he laughed.

I glared at him. "Did you bring the papers?"

"Right here," he said as he handed them to me.

"Thanks, that's one less thing I have to worry about."

He rolled his eyes. "Relax. You're freaking out over nothing. She may not even show up."

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," I said sarcastically.

He shrugged and turned to walk out of the kitchen, but stopped before he reached the door.

"Oh, by the way," he said, turning back towards me, "She's here."


	16. Chapter 15: Lunch

**i don't own twilight**

**another short chapter, but it's an important one**

**thanks to everyone reading :)  
**

* * *

Chapter 15: Lunch

**EPOV**

My heart stopped.

"Wh-what?"

"Bella's here."

"She's here?" I gasped.

"Yup."

"Right now?"

"Yeah," he laughed and nodded.

I ran past him and opened the door a crack to look around.

Sure enough, she was out there, just taking her seat while talking to Maggie.

My breath hitched as the sunlight shining through the windows, seemed to shine right on to her. She was so beautiful. My memory didn't do her any justice.

"Go!" James said as he gave me a push.

I stumbled out the door and ran into a cart full of dishes. Thankfully none of them broke, but James' hysterical laughter behind me caught Bella and Maggie's attention.

_Great._

"You okay, Edward?" another waiter, Ben, asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Uh, I-I'm going on my break," I said, walking away. I heard him reply, but I was too focused on the table a few feet in front of me to register what he said.

_Stay calm. Remember the rules. Don't embarrass yourself… again._

I finally made it to her table and froze.

I just… stared at her.

"Hi," she smiled with that blush I've been dreaming about.

"H-hi," I somehow managed to say back.

I vaguely remember sitting down and having Maggie take our drink orders, but everything else seemed to disappear as we stared into each other's eyes.

_Remember the rules! Remember the rules!_

"How's your eye?" she quietly asked.

"It's fine."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't hurt?"

"No," I smiled and shook my head. Truth was, it did hurt sometimes, but I could tell she already felt an unnecessary amount of guilt, and I didn't want to make it worse.

"That's good," she said, looking down at her hands as Maggie brought out our drinks.

"Is there anything I can get you guys to eat?" Maggie asked.

"No, I don't have time," I replied.

"I don't either," Bella added.

"Okay, if you change your minds, let me know." Maggie smiled and walked away.

And then we were alone.

No more interruptions. No way to back out.

Just silence.

After a few minutes, she asked for the papers and I handed them to her with minimal talking.

But something was wrong. She seemed even more nervous than I was, and I couldn't figure out why.

_Maybe she's been thinking about me too. Focus! Remember the rules!_

"Um," she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I… I wanted to say… um… I wanted to tell you, I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" I choked. "For what?"

_Why on earth would she be apologizing to _me_?_

"E-everything," she started, simply. "Friday, Saturday… pretty much the whole weekend."

"Why? I'm not," I said without thinking. It wasn't until her eyes went wide, that I realized my mistake.

"No! I didn't mean tha-I mean, I do, but…" I stopped and took a deep breath.

_Calm down. Don't mess this up._

"What I mean is," I said slowly. "I'm sorry about how things have gone and how things are for you and Jake now. But I'm not sorry about meeting you. I like you. I want to be-" _with you, _I almost finished.

_No, no! Fix this!_

"-Your friend," I blurted out the only thing that came to mind.

"You idiot!" I swore I could hear James yelling from the kitchen.

But it didn't seem to bother her. Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled brightly.

"I'd like that," she said.

Conversation flowed freely after that. We still had awkward moments here and there, but for the most part it was… friendly.

We talked about books, movies and CD's that were supposed to be coming out soon, and discovered we were both waiting for the same ones. I watched her eyes sparkled when she talked in depth about her favorites of each and the meanings she found behind them – most matched my own.

She had me hooked on every word she spoke, each filled with so much passion for that subject. She really knew what she was taking about and stood by what she said.

I had to hold back a laugh at how her nose scrunched up when she was talking about a fight she got into over a book last year.

Apparently, someone _dared_ to tell her she was wrong and that her theories were 'Way off and childish.' So she proceeded to 'Rip them a new one' – her words.

I didn't think she had it in her to do something like that, so I was surprised – to say the least – when I heard that. She was so shy yet, so independent at the same time.

She was simply amazing.

By the end of our lunch, I wasn't just falling in love with her; I _was_ in love with her.

_If she wants a friend, be her friend. _My head reminded me. _Just be grateful for what you _do_ have with her._

And I was. She was the first good thing to happen to me in a while.

However, I won't lie and say my heart didn't break a little at the word 'Friend.'


	17. Chapter 16: Beginning Of The End

_**i own nothing**_

_**i suck at updating... i'm sorry... this chapter wasn't working out like i hoped it would.. so i had to do some re planning.. but i have not and will not give up on this story  
**_

* * *

Chapter 16: Beginning Of The End

**BPOV**

Thursday.

Married 6 days.

"_I like you. I want to be… Your friend."_

Even though I don't want to admit it, my heart skipped a beat when he said he wasn't sorry about meeting me. For a small, sad moment, I actually thought it was possible that he felt something too.

I could almost see him leaning across the table, sweeping me up into a kiss to declare his love for me, just like in the movies.

But just as quickly as my daydream appeared, it was shattered by that one little word – Friend.

I felt like such an idiot.

I _knew_ there wasn't anything between us, so why did I react that way?

_I'm going crazy._

I _still_ haven't heard from Jake. I'm starting to wonder if I will.

I've spent the past few days dreaming about the honeymoon I should be enjoying right now. I dream about running around on a beach – a warm one for once – with Jake chasing me. He'd hang back for a little while, making it seem like I could actually escape him before quickly catching me without breaking a sweat. We'd fall to the sand, laughing and kissing each other's wedding rings, saying, "I lov-…"

Once again I had to stop that thought before the sting in my eyes turned into the full tears I've been holding back for almost a week.

I sat quietly as Carlisle went over all of the papers for the marriage and the divorce. He wasn't exactly pleased when I told him about Edward, but agreed without hesitation to help me.

He was hoping to find something that would either void the marriage or prove that it wasn't really legit, but couldn't.

I really was married.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to feel better or worse knowing that.

Things probably would have been easier if it had turned out I wasn't, but then again, everything that happened with Jake would have been for nothing.

After a few minutes, Carlisle had me sign some papers and finally spoke for the first time since his quick 'Hello' when I walked into his office.

"Well… that's that." He said. "It'll take a few months to finalize, but other than that, there shouldn't be any problems."

"That's good." I said quietly, looking down at my hands.

I heard Carlisle sigh and walk around his desk.

"How are things with Jake?"

I gave a dry laugh. "I haven't heard from him since Saturday."

"That bad?"

"That bad." I nodded.

"He just needs time, Bella," he said. "It's a lot for him to handle, for both of you to handle. Things will work out in the end."

"Thanks Carlisle," I smiled, feeling a bit more optimistic. Carlisle has always had that effect on people. He always knows what to say.

After I left, I went to my office to see if there was anything that needed to be done, hoping to find something to take my mind off things.

Unfortunately, I was not only unsuccessful, but everyone I ran into felt the need to tell me all of the rumors on why I didn't get married Sunday. So with my new found optimism lost, I ended up spending the rest of the night moping.

Angela called Friday morning, asking if I wanted to go to lunch.

I was about to say yes, excited at the thought of hanging out with someone that didn't know what really happened and wouldn't pressure me into talking about it, until she told me the name of the restaurant she wanted to go to.

_La Bella Italia._

Of course.

I ended up turning her down saying I had a list of things to do around my house, which wasn't a complete lie. I _did_ have a list, but I only made it because I had nothing else to do.

She sounded so disappointed, much more than I expected, but when I asked her about it she said, "Nothing, it's no big deal."

So for the rest of the day I felt guilty for my friend and angry with myself for feeling like I needed to avoid Edward.

_He's a friend. There's nothing wrong with two friends running into each other._

By Saturday, I decided I needed to see Jake.

I needed to know where things stood for us.

I needed to know if I could salvage our relationship at all. Even if he didn't want to marry me, I still desperately hoped we could at least stay friends.

I needed him in my life… even if he didn't love me anymore.

* * *

_**sorry it's so short after the long wait... but the next chapter isn't too far behind**_


	18. Chapter 17: Starting Over

**_i don't own twilight... at all_**

* * *

Chapter 17: Starting Over

**BPOV**

Sunday.

Married 1 week, 2 days.

I spent most of the morning stalling and arguing with myself.

I went out to my car, but never got in. I picked up the phone several times, but never dialed.

Rosalie called around noon, asking how things were going. I spent an hour filling her in on everything from my talk with Edward to my meeting with Carlisle. She eventually figured out what I was doing and hung up on me after yelling, "Stop stalling and talk to Jake already!"

I tried calling Alice after that, but she wouldn't answer. _Rose must have called her._

Then I tried calling Angela to see if she still wanted to go out, but she already had plans.

By 3pm, I was out of people to call and started pacing around my house.

_What if he needs more time? If I go too early, will it make things worse? What if it's already too late?_

On my eighth trip around my house and my fourteenth 'What if,' there was a knock on the door.

I was so thankful to have another reason to stall; I practically ran to the door and flung it open.

"Jake?" I gasped.

"Hey Bells," he gave a nervous smile. "Can we talk?"

I couldn't speak. I wasn't ready for this talk, but I knew it needed to happen. I finally gave a small nod and moved aside to let him in.

Time was up. It was all over.

There was nothing I could say that would make this right.

_I screwed up. I ruined our 5 year relationship. He has every right…_

"I'm sorry." He said quickly, breaking my train of thought.

I stood there stunned. Out of everything I expected him to say, _that_ was never an option.

"Wh-what?"

_Oh Jake, please don't._

"I'm sorry," he slowly repeated. "I know I said it was ok and that I forgive you… and I do, I still do. But seeing him here… it made it all real. You mean so much to me Bells. I felt like I was losing you and… I don't know, something just… snapped. I know I said some awful things and I'm so sorry for that. You know I'd never intentionally hurt you and I hate myself for what I said."

My heart broke at what I was hearing. _He thinks _he_ needs to apologize?_

"Jake, you don't need to apologize. I understand… really. The whole weekend was…"

"Messed up," he offered.

"I was going to say my fault, but yeah, it was that too." I sighed.

"Bella," he started, looking deep into my eyes. "I don't like what happened, but I can't stay mad at you for it. Like I said last week, when you say it was just a mistake, I believe you. You can't lie, especially not to me."

He gave a short laugh and I couldn't help but laugh as well. That's always been what I loved most about him. He could make me laugh even when I was at my lowest of lows.

"So what happens now?" he asked.

"I don't know. I… I talked to Carlisle on Thursday and he's getting the divorce started. But it'll take a few months to finalize."

"You're still going through with that?"

"Yeah," I shrugged.

"You wouldn't rather be with him?"

I shook my head. "No, of course not, there's nothing like that between us."

_I think._

No. I _know_ there's nothing between us.

_Friends, just friends._

"So… are _we_… okay?" he asked quietly.

"I was going to ask you that," I replied, keeping my voice just as quiet. It was almost like we had a sleeping wolf in the room. If one word was too loud, he'd wake up and rip apart any progress we had made.

"You know I love you Bella. I always have. I just want you to be happy, where ever that is."

I walked over and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist.

"I'm happy right here. I'm happy with you. I always have."

I felt his shoulders relax as he wrapped his arms around me.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that." He whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." I said back.

And I meant it.

We held each other for hours, just like old times, cracking jokes and telling stories. We were back in our own little bubble, starting over, like nothing happened.

If that's not love… then what is?

* * *

**_i know.. Bella is an idiot :D_**

**_But Edward still has a few tricks up his sleeve (and a few rules to break)  
_**


	19. Chapter 18: Back To Work

_**I don't own Twilight**_

_**I am so sorry about the wait. Real life got really hectic and I was never in the right frame of mind to write... no matter how much I tried.**_

_**I wanted to thank whoever nominated Bad Timing for Best Secondary Story Line in the Indie TwiFic Awards. No only did that pretty much make my year, but it also motivated me to finish this chapter. I also want to thank anyone who is still sticking with this story even after the long wait. It really means a lot! :)  
**_

* * *

Chapter 18: Back To Work

**BPOV**

Wednesday.

Married 2 weeks, 5 days.

My first day back to work was turning out to be more stressful than the day I started working here. People weren't even trying to hide their stares as word about my new wedding started to spread.

Jake and I set a new date within days of our make up. We both wanted it to be as soon as possible, but with the divorce; the earliest was about six months from now.

Alice wasn't thrilled to hear that. She thought we should take another year to plan a whole new wedding.

"_It's bad luck to reuse your wedding things." _She said.

I tried to tell her it's not reusing if you didn't get a chance to use it in the first place, but she wouldn't listen. We finally agreed on changing the wedding but not the date.

At noon, I went down to Angela's office to see if she wanted to come with me to meet Rosalie and Alice for lunch. She was on the phone when I got there, so she told me she'd meet us when she was done.

She's still acting weird and none of us can figure out why.

I met Alice and Rose at our usual diner down the street and spent the next twenty minutes trying to understand what Alice was saying about my wedding. She was practically bouncing in her seat as she went over _every_ little detail.

When the food finally came – with no sign of Angela – Alice took a break to eat, making our table very quiet and very uncomfortable. Neither she nor Rosalie said a word or even looked at me.

Something was up.

This isn't the first time they've done this to me. Every time we're headed toward a conversation they know I won't like, they suddenly go shy and quiet – two things Alice and Rose are not, - before striking.

The calm before the storm.

After a few moments, Alice and Rosalie started throwing each other meaningful looks, trying to silently decide who would start, without me noticing.

I almost laughed, but decided not to push my luck.

Finally, with a not so subtle kick under the table from Alice, Rose took a deep breath and set her fork down in defeat.

"So Bella," she said, still keeping her eyes on her food. "Have you talked to Edward lately?"

_Edward? That's what this is about?_

"Once," I said, deciding to keep my answers truthful but short.

"Oh? How is he?"

"Fine, I guess. Why?"

She shrugged. "Just wondering. He was a nice guy."

_What? Oh no, I'm not believing that for a second._

"What's go-"

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." Angela said as she sat down next to me.

I immediately dropped the conversation, and Rose thankfully followed my lead. Angela still didn't know about Edward, and I wanted to keep it that way. It wasn't that I didn't trust her. I just wanted to keep the truth as quiet as possible.

Sensing she was missing something, Angela shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "What's up?" she asked with a shaky voice.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "What's up with you?"

Angela sat with her back straight up against her chair, wide eyes and a blush that could rival mine.

"Me?" She gave a nervous smile. "What do you mean?"

"It's about a guy, isn't it?" Rosalie said. "You always act like this when ever you meet some one new."

Alice gasped and clapped her hands with a small squeal.

"Spill!" she yelled, catching the attention of the whole diner. "What's his name? Where did you meet? What does he look like? Where does he work? Details! Details!"

Angela's blush got impossibly brighter as she relaxed in her seat.

"His name is Ben." Angela smiled. "We met almost three weeks ago. Remember when I had to baby sit for my sister and couldn't go out with you guys?"

We nodded. _Oh yes, I remember._

"Well, we decided to make pizza for lunch and while we were at the grocery store getting the ingredients… he was there."

"And?" Alice pressed. "Is he good looking? Does he have a job?"

"Yes and yes." Angela laughed. "His looks are… out of this world. And his personality is beyond amazing. Right now he's working at a restaurant called _La Bella Italia_, but he's hoping to start working at his dad's law firm soon."

"Wait," Rose interrupted, shooting me a quick glance. "You said he's working at _La Bella Italia_?"

Angela blushed. "Yeah. That's why I've been trying to talk you guys into eating there sometime. I always want to see him, but I don't want to just show up while he's working without an excuse. I don't want to seem like a stalker or anything."

"Why didn't you just say something?" I asked.

"I don't know. It's just… he's different." She sighed.

"Different? How?" Alice asked.

"I mean… when we're not together, I can't stop thinking about him. And when we are…" she trailed off.

"It's different." I finished.

"Exactly. But it's a good different, a great different. It's a different I never knew I could feel."

"I think we've all been there before," said Rosalie.

"Really?" Angela asked. "What happened with them?"

Alice smiled. "We married them."

After Angela's food arrived, Alice made her tell us everything that's happened in the last three weeks. Angela was practically breathless as she relived each day with the biggest smile I've ever seen.

Whether she realized it or not, she loved him already. It was written all over her face.

When lunch was over, Angela and I walked back to the office, the stares and the whispers. But for once it didn't bother me.

With the peace the last week has brought, it seemed like things were finally getting back on track.

_Now if you can just stop thinking about Edward all the time._

* * *

_**I know it might not seem like much after 3 months, but this chapter will play an important part later in the story.**_

_**Edward will be back next chapter.  
**_


	20. Chapter 19: Breaking Rule 3

**_i don't own anything related to Twilight. i just made up a story line and turned it into fanfiction_**

**_i'm a horrible person, i know. i feel so bad about the wait. i tried, honestly. in the past few months i've gotten a new job and new house, pretty much a whole new life, and my mind has been running on overload. i've said it before and i'll say it again, i will finish this story. it might take longer than i had hoped and would like, but it will be finished. i can't promise the next update will be as fast as i used to update. but i can promise i won't write something just to write it. i've tried that before on other writing adventures and they all sucked :D_**

**_my main goal is to write something i can be proud of, something you can enjoy and something that will do the story justice. it may have taken me a while, but i'm really happy with this chapter and i hope you will be too (hint: E/B action)_**

* * *

Chapter 19: Breaking Rule 3

**EPOV**

Tuesday.

Married 1 month, 2 weeks and 4 days.

It's been the longest month of my life.

My days have dragged on with every minute filled with thoughts about Bella.

I've talked to her twice since our lunch date.

The first was the week later, when she called to tell me about her meeting with the lawyer. It was awkward at first, but James broke the tension by stealing the phone and asking her if she ran into anyone else lately. We easily slipped into conversation after that.

Well, at least until she mentioned how she and Jake were back together.

We quickly hung up after that.

It's not like I didn't expect that to happen, I was just too selfish to want to hear it.

I made the second phone call a few days ago. My addiction reached an all time high and I just needed to hear her voice. The simple phone call turned into the most awkward three minutes and twenty-four seconds – James counted – of my life.

James still thinks I'm an idiot, and I still silently agree with him. Although I refuse to agree with him out loud, I think he knows. The raised eyebrow he gives me every time I play her song speaks volumes. But other than the random Idiot 'cough,' he's kept mostly quiet.

When Victoria learned about Bella, she took James' side and has made it a point to say every thing he won't. I now try to avoid her at all costs. I've been spending most of my time at work since Bella's comforting scent is no longer in my room, making the few memories I actually of that night too painful to remember.

But remember I do.

Even when I'm not home and get a small break at work, they come back to me. They haunt me.

I remember when she said 'I do' and the bright smile that went with it. Even though I've since learned it wasn't _truly_ for me, I've selfishly taken a small bit of comfort knowing I'm the only one who has seen _that_ smile.

_For now at least._

The days have been quickly counting down to our divorce and I've spent every minute of them trying to decide where to go from here.

Do I let the divorce happen and live the rest of my life never knowing what could have been, but grateful for the time I did have with her?

Or do I fight, hoping for the best, but possibly end up hurting her in the process?

I'd rather die alone than make her cry, but I love her too much to never see her again. I'm selfish.

And that's what brings me here, sitting out side her house, once again fighting with myself.

---

**BPOV**

Alice is in so much trouble.

First she talks me into planning another wedding. Then, on the day she's supposed to help me do so, she calls to tell me she's running late. And Alice is _never _late.

The appointments at the new church and the florist have both come and passed, and the next appointment for a new dress is quickly approaching.

I tried telling her I could go by myself, but according to Alice, Rule 1 to buying a wedding dress is never go alone. Because the sales associate will be biased because they want to make the most commission and I'll be biased because, quote, "You especially believe you don't look good in anything, a friend – like me – will be able to give you an honest-slash-unbiased opinion."

So now, because of her, I'm looking at rescheduling everything in my already limited time frame that she put in place.

I'm starting to panic.

_Why did I listen to her? Why do I ever listen to her? She's always telling me I should start standing up for myself, so why don't I?_

A sudden knock on the door pulled my out of my rant.

_It's about time!_

Okay, so maybe I overreacted. She only ever tries to help and she never leads me astray.

_She's still late though._

"Alice!" I yelled, throwing the door open. "You're almost four hours…"

I froze.

_That's not Alice._

"Edward?"

He gave me the small nervous smile he always seems to have before something clicked in his eyes.

"Is this a bad time? I can go. I shouldn't have come. I should have called. I'm sorry." He turned and looked like he was about to run to his car.

_Why is he always trying to leave me?_

And why do I hate that so much?

"Wait!" I yelled. _Don't do it. Don't do it._

I have to at least know why he's here.

"Um, I've got a minute. What's up?"

"Oh, well, remember that book you said you were really excited for when we had our lunch?" I nodded. _Of course I remember the lunch, how could I forget?_ "Well, it came out early, today, and I was wondering if you wanted to go get it… together. But you're busy, so I'll just go." He mumbled and started walking toward his car again.

"Stop that." _What?_

"What?"

_Don't say it; don't even think about going there._

"Running away from me, you never let me finish." I gave a nervous laugh.

"Oh, sorry." He blushed.

"You do that a lot too."

He laughed. He genuinely laughed. It was nice to see him relaxed. I never saw it very often.

_Why are you thinking about him like that?_

Enough! From here on out, I'm going to stop arguing with myself and trying to constantly tell myself how wrong this is.

I mean, there's nothing wrong with friends hanging out, right?

Before the little voice in my head could start breaking my new rule already, I heard my phone start to ring inside.

Inviting Edward in, I ran to the phone praying it was Alice this time.

I barely had my greeting out before I had my answer.

"Bella?" Alice practically yelled. "Listen, I know you're probably mad, and I wouldn't blame you, but something has come up and – Jasper, stop it." I could hear both of them giggling on the other end and I almost hung up. I learned a long time ago to not ask questions I didn't want answers to when it came to Alice.

"Alice! I'm still here!" I yelled.

"Oh sorry," She giggled again. "Look, I'm not going to make it today, I'm sorry. I'll reschedule the other appointments but you _have_ to make it to the dress one. Rescheduling that one would set us further behind than any of the others, combined, trust me. Call Emily, call Angela, call anyone to go with you and we can go over what you pick out and I'll explain everything at dinner on Saturday." A squeal rang though the phone and my ears and in one final breath Alice yelled, "I gotta go Bella, bye!" and promptly hung up on me.

My mind was racing a thousand miles a minute as I hung up the phone.

For one, I had completely forgotten about this Saturday.

Sam and his wife Emily had invited all of us over to their place for dinner months ago. Saturday was the day Jake and I were supposed to be returning from our honeymoon. It was supposed to be our 'Welcome Home.' The first dinner we would ever have without spending most of the night making bets on how long it would take for us to get married.

And like I always seem to do whenever Edward is involved, I completely forgot about my life and plans before the 'Wedding/Non-Wedding.'

Last, but not least, I had no idea what I was going to do about my dress.

Alice may have been too busy to remember, but I _couldn't_ call Angela or Emily because they were both working today. _They _didn't take a whole day off for appointments they didn't go to.

I started to panic again.

"Is everything alright?"

"No," I half yelled, never turning around to look at Edward. "Alice went completely crazy with the new wedding _and now_ she won't help me but insists I need someone to come along!"

I started pacing like a caged animal. Why does everything seem to go wrong all at once? Why, after all that's happened in the last few weeks, can't anything go right? I feel like I'm going crazy!

It was only when my words echoed through my house I realized I'd said that all out loud.

When I finally turned to Edward, panting and feeling completely drained, he said the best and worst thing.

"I'll help you."

* * *

**_to anyone who is still sticking with me even after the too long wait, i thank you from the top and bottom of my heart. it really does mean a lot :)_**


	21. Chapter 20: Different

_**i don't own Twilight, dresses or songs, but i thank them for inspiring me.**_

_**yes, believe it or not, this is another update in less than a month. i don't know how it happened, but i hope it continues.**_

_**thank you again to all of you who stuck with me after my update fail.  
**_

* * *

Chapter 20: Different

**EPOV**

Tuesday.

Married 1 month, 2 weeks and 4 days.

I will never tell James about this day.

Don't ask me why I offered to help the woman I love pick out a dress to wear at her wedding to another guy. After the rant I assume I wasn't supposed to hear, it _seemed_ like the right thing to do.

Granted, I never expected her to actually agree. And judging by the deep blush on her face after she said it, she didn't either.

So now, I'm sitting in her car, half way to the dress shop, with nothing but the radio playing songs that seem to be talking about me.

_You're beautiful_

_You're beautiful, it's true_

_I saw your face in a crowded place_

_And I don't know what to do_

_'Cause I'll never be with you_

Oh come on! This is the fifth song in a row!

"Are you okay?"

I jumped. After twenty minutes with no talking I was startled when her voice broke through the songs.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm good." I almost believed myself.

"Oh, I was just wondering because you seem really… uncomfortable."

_Am I that obvious?_

"It's the truck isn't it? It always scares the hell out of Jake. He's been trying to talk me into getting a new car, but… this is my baby, you know?" she rambled.

"Oh, yeah. I understand." I lied. It wasn't the truck at all. Actually, until she said something, I hardly noticed how loud and rocky the ride has been. Now, along with the nerves I always get around her, I feel like I'm coming down with motion sickness.

We went back into silence as the radio kept playing the same damn songs.

_But she's touching his chest now_

_He takes off her dress now_

_Let me go_

_And I just can't look_

_It's killing me_

_And taking control_

_Say something. Anything to get your attention off the radio._

"So how did you two meet?" _Oh God, anything but that._

"You mean… me and Jake?" She gave me a quick sideways glance, looking as uncomfortable as I felt.

"Yeah, I mean, only if you want to tell. It's none of my business really."

"No, it's okay. Um, our dads are lifelong friends. We saw each other a few times when we were really young, but we didn't remember that until we met when I finished college. Our dads reintroduced us and told us stories about how we used to act together. And… that was that. We've been together since."

I nodded, since I didn't know what else to do. "That's nice."

_Much better story to tell the kids than ours._

The rest of the ride was silent between us, even the radio had nothing but commercials to add.

When we finally pulled up to the shop, we both nearly shot out of the car and ran up to the door.

An overwhelming blast of fresh flowers, ribbons, bows and pink, greeted us as we opened the door. Everything was laid out in an elegant pattern, from the front desk, to the fitting room, and I'd be willing to bet even the bathrooms were spotless.

"Alice picked this place out." Bella said quietly. That made more sense. This is definitely not a place where I would expect to see Bella shopping on her own free will.

"There they are!" said a light singing voice.

_Great. Here we go._

Out of nowhere a petite blonde came floating towards us. She went to Bella wrapping her in a strong hug.

"Hi Kate." I could hear Bella mumble as Kate kissed each of her cheeks.

"I was worried you wouldn't make it," she replied, turning toward me. "Oh is this the groom? It's great to finally meet you!"

I was suddenly wrapped into a hug of my own and was too stunned to try to shake her off.

After planting a kiss on each of my cheeks, she continued. "I normally don't allow the grooms to watch, bad luck you know, but I've got a good feeling about this."

"Oh… um, a-actually, this isn't my fiancé." Bella managed to say. "He's just my… friend."

Kate's bright face suddenly went dim. "But I thought…"

"This is Edward. Alice and Rosalie couldn't make it today, so he agreed to help me."

I couldn't imagine what she could have been thinking between Bella's deep blush and my uncomfortable stance, but she didn't question it and instead lead us toward the dresses.

"Alice and Rose already sent me a few details and suggestions for your dress; all you have to do is try them on. Shall we?"

"Okay," Bella agreed with a shaky voice. She placed her coat and purse in the couch beside us and followed Kate through a curtain to another room. I stood for a few moments before taking a seat next to her stuff.

---

**BPOV**

_This is insane. Why did I agree to this?_

I stood on the platform shaking like crazy as the first dress squeezed the life out of me.

I tried to tell Kate I already knew this wasn't the one for me, but she insisted – on Alice's orders – I try it on.

No matter how carefully I tried to walk back out to the waiting room, I still almost tripped several times.

When I finally made it out there, luckily unscathed, the first look Edward tried to cover up sealed my thought on this dress.

Ruffles, ruffles and more ruffles. I was almost lost in the enormous dress that wasn't even white.

I looked into the mirror trying to give it one more shot, but it was a wasted effort.

"This is what happens when you let Alice pick out a dress." I sighed. "Next."

The second dress was better, but I still wasn't sure.

The fabric was like several bands of ribbon sewn together and the dress flared out just above my knees. It was pretty, and I did like it, but it was still… too much.

Edward agreed and said I needed something, 'elegant but simple.'

Which is exactly what I've been saying for over a year now.

Kate disappeared for a minute after she helped me out of the dress, saying she had something in mind that matched Edward's idea.

_At least it can't be worse than Alice's._

As soon as Kate returned and showed me the dress, I knew I'd finally found it.

It was a simple white dress with a few spots of beads for charm. It was like a ball gown, one I'd admittedly always dreamt of wearing to my wedding.

"Your… _friend_ has good taste." Kate spoke, while helping me put my dress on.

I could only give a weak smile. What am I supposed to say to that?

With the last button in place, she sent me out to look at 'the full image.'

Edward was still sitting with his head hanging off the back of the couch. It was only when I made my usual trip up the podium in front of the mirrors did he look my way.

He didn't have to say what he thought of the dress, I could see it in his eyes.

"Bella," he stood and walked over to stand behind me. "It's… you look… perfect."

Something changed in his eyes. It became a look of wonder, pain and something I couldn't identify. It was a strong look that almost made my knees buckle.

"I think this is it," I spoke, trying to keep conscious.

"I think so too," Edward replied softly.

I quickly went back into the dressing room with a forgotten Kate following behind.

She hummed with a smug smile while she helped me out of my dress.

I wasn't sure if the smile was for the dress or Edward's reaction, and I never asked.

We left the store in silence. Edward never said another word about the dress. In fact, he barely said anything at all.

Something was different. I could still see that same look in his eyes. No matter how hard I tried to understand it, I couldn't. No matter how badly I wanted to ask what he was thinking, I didn't. Nevertheless, something had definitely changed between us.

* * *

_**i've put links for the dresses and songs on my profile. i'll also be leaving updates on how far along the next chapters are.**_


	22. Chapter 21: No Choice

_**i do not own anything related to the Twilight series.**_

**_i'm back again. this break wasn't planned or wanted, but i think it turned out for the best. before i had an idea on where this story will go, now i have a whole layout. unless something changes, it's going to be 39 chapters, an Epilogue and for now there will be 4 outtakes, maybe more. i know it seems kinda soon, but there's still a lot left to sort out, so it shouldn't seem too short._**

**_also, this chapter was originally turning out to be half as long as it is now, with barely any story to it._**

**_i know the wait has been horrible. it always bugs me when my favorites take forever. but i really believe that without this extra time, this chapter wouldn't have been worth it, but at the same time, the story really needed it._**

* * *

Chapter 21: No Choice

**BPOV**

Saturday.

Married 1 month, 3 weeks and 2 days.

Today had promised to be like old times. A normal Saturday that would find Jake and I hanging out with _our_ friends, laughing at each other's lives _together._

But it wasn't.

Right from the start, the tension was in the air.

Jake and I talked a little on the ride over to Sam and Emily's, but it was all casual. Work, weather, our next days off, were all topics. It wasn't like us, we didn't talk about us. We just talked.

When we finally arrived, I breathed a sigh of relief. Alice and Rosalie were the only others that knew the real story behind the wedding reschedule, and I'd made them promise not to talk about it. Jake just told everyone _we_ needed more time, and 'kindly' asked them not to pressure us about it.

And they didn't. Well, they never got the chance to that is.

We were sitting in the living room waiting for Quil and his new girlfriend to arrive when the conversation turned to all of our personal lives. I started to get nervous when I could tell we were next, but thanks to Emily, we never got our turn.

Luckily, by Saturday, word of Alice's missed chance at shopping spread through our group. Alice tried to play it down, saying she'd explain after we ate, but the shit eating grin both she and Jasper had, made us try harder.

I have to give her credit; she did last two minutes, – an Alice world record, - before breaking.

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you." She stood up and cleared her throat. Things always have to be dramatic when it comes to Alice.

"As you know, Jasper and I have been together for a long time. A day like today has always been in our plans."

"Just spit it out already!" yelled Emmett.

"Leave it to you to ruin the moment." Alice retorted.

"Your moment was up forever ago, get on with it."

"Fine!"

"Great!"

"You wanna know what's so important?"

"Yes!" we all yelled.

"I'm pregnant!" Alice yelled.

Silence. No one moved. No one breathed.

"That's it?" Emmett asked.

Rosalie just rolled her eyes and smacked the back of his head. "You moron."

"What? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you guys, but I already figured that. I thought it would be something more."

"Ignore him." Rosalie ran up and grabbed Alice into a hug. "Congratulations guys."

"Let me be the first to make a toast." Sam said, raising his glass. "To Alice and Jasper, may their child inherit Jasper's height."

Alice only replied by throwing a small pillow at him while the rest of us laughed.

Quil finally arrived and introduced us to Claire. They had only known each other for a few weeks but were clearly in love.

"The first time I saw her, I just knew," Quil explained. "I never had a choice, I loved her instantly."

Most of the girls sighed at how romantic it was, except for me and Rosalie. Rosalie smacked Emmett's arm and asked why he didn't say things like that when they met. And I… well I just sat there and ignored all of it.

It wasn't like that for Jake and I. It was convenience that grew to love. But whether I liked it or not, and it was a big not, I couldn't say I didn't know how Quil felt.

_No, damn it. Don't think like that._

After dinner, I was helping Emily with the dishes when she cornered me.

"So what's _really_ going on?" she asked.

"I don't know what you mean."

"That's bull and you know it. You and Jake aren't acting like you used to. Hell, you're barely even talking."

"We just don't want to interrupt. Alice had big news. Quil has Claire. There's nothing new with us." Even I could admit that was one of my worst lies.

She let it drop, but left me with a feeling that she would ask again.

When we rejoined the group in the living room, something wasn't right. Alice and Rosalie looked guilty, more so than usual, Jake looked mad, and everyone else looked uncomfortable and confused.

But no one said why.

We stayed a few more hours in strained conversation, before Jake and I called it a night first.

I had to run to keep up with him as we went to his car, and hold on for dear life as we headed to my house.

He wasn't just mad, he was angry at me.

"What happened?" I whispered.

"You weren't going to tell me, were you?"

"Tell you what?" I was completely lost. He already knew about the marriage and divorce. What else was there?

"Who took you shopping for your new wedding dress, Bella?" he yelled.

I froze.

It never even crossed my mind.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even think…"

"That's becoming a habit of yours isn't it."

_Not again. Don't make me cry again._

"What do you want me to say, Jake?"

"Nothing."

He dropped me off at my house without saying a word, then sped away.

We didn't talk for a week. I decided to give him his space. It was easier than I thought it would be.

When he finally came around, he look like a mess. He lost weight, he hadn't slept. He said he was sorry, he just over reacted.

"It was just odd to have to hear it from them. I wish it would have been you. Like that first time," he explained.

"I really am sorry Jake. It _really_ didn't even cross my mind."

"I know. I'm sorry too."

And just like that, just like before, we almost seemed to be back on track.

Almost.


	23. Chapter 22: New Waitress

******_i own nothing twilight related_**

**_a new chapter, in less than a month. shocking i know lol. i'm really excited about the next few chapters. the events in them have been planned, and even written out a bit, for a while. and they should help make the ending fit. *tease*_**

**__****it might also be a good idea to at least skim through the earlier chapters if not the whole story, just to help with the little details. remember, everything happens for a reason in this story. (another tease, sorry lol)**

* * *

Chapter 22: New Waitress

**EPOV**

Saturday

Married 2 months, 1 week, 1 day

_In a perfect world_

_This could never happen_

_In a perfect world_

_You'd still be here_

_Tick _

_Tock_

It's been two months. Actually it's been just over two months… if I was counting that is.

It's amazing how much can change when it seems to stay the same.

_Tick _

_Tock_

Seeing her in that dress nearly destroyed what was left of my plan. I would give anything to see her in that dress waiting… wanting to marry me.

_Tick _

_Tock_

The time seems to drag at a fast pace. Each minute is agonizingly slow. But each day quickly brings closer the divorce.

Every day is the same. I eat, I sleep, I work and play the piano. The most painful is a tie between the piano and sleep. She surrounds those completely.

_Tick _

_Tock_

Then again, maybe work beats them all. With as slow as we've been lately, it's become the time of day I think about her the most.

It's where time is the slowest.

_Tick _

_Tock_

I have to hand it to James, after noticing my decline in mood since the shopping trip, he has let up his relentless nagging. Not that he doesn't still have his moments, nor has Victoria stopped her constant reminders of her opinion.

_Tick_

_Tock_

Please God, just let this day be over.

"You okay, Ed?" Ben asked. "You've been spacing out a lot lately."

I was too tired to remind him my name was _Edward._

"I'm fine. It's just… complicated."

James ran over to Ben and semi whispered, "Wife issues."

"Oh um," Ben stuttered. "Can I ask? I mean… I just… for future reference."

"Future reference? With who?" James yelled.

"Well, I'm finally finished with school. So my dad is gonna let me start working at his firm. Of course that means I'll have to move to L.A."

Ben's parents divorced when he was in high school. His mom kept him up here and his dad moved to California and married a twenty year old plastic surgery addict. But I have to give him credit, even with the distance and the mismatched marriage, he's still there for Ben.

"So where does a future wife come into play?" James pressed.

"Well, I've been seeing someone for a few months now. She's amazing. I can't picture being with anyone else. I think about her constantly." At that, James shot me a not so discrete look.

_Shut up,_ I mouthed back.

Ben continued. "I can't just leave her, but I can't ask her to leave her whole life here without a good reason."

"Wow, all this talk about marriage, never leaving each other, never stop thinking about each other… makes me think twice about it all." James shook his head and headed out with his next order.

"Bull shit," I yelled. "You know you love Victoria."

"Of course I do, but that doesn't mean I don't want to keep _some_ of my personal space. Have you ever spent a lot of time with her?"

I laughed and finally tore myself away from my standing point in front of the clock. He did have a point. I don't know how he did it.

"Ben, if you love her, fight for her. Don't spend your life wondering what could have happened."

_Wow, pot and kettle much Eddie?_

Great, now the voice in my head is starting to sound like James.

"Thanks Edw-"

"Edward!" my boss, Aro, interrupted.

_Shit, now what?_

He rounded the corner with a blonde, who had on too much makeup and too little clothing, trailing behind him.

_Please tell me that's not a uniform she's trying to wear._

"Edward, this is Lauren. I just hired her on as a waitress. I want you to show her around. Teach her how things work." He turned to Lauren. "Lauren, Edward here is the best I've got." _He actually said that? Can we get that on record for when it's time for my raise? _"Listen to what he has to say and we'll have no problem."

He looked back at me, mouthed 'Good luck,' and ran back off to the bat cave he likes to call his office.

"Hi Eddie," she purred. Or at least she tried to, when really she just sounded like she had a fur ball stuck in her throat.

I couldn't stop the laugh, but God do I wish I had. She took the smile as a 'Go for it' pass and started to blink her eyes furiously. I almost thought she had one of her fake eyelashes stuck in them.

I did my best to show her around and in return, she did her best to bend over and brush herself against me ever chance she got.

Accidently, of course.

My ass.

"What did you say, Eddie?"

_Fuck, did I say that out loud._

Apparently I had, because she immediately attempted to press herself against said ass. I said attempt because her overly fake breast halted her in that mission.

"I said you pass," I lied as I weaved out of her grip. "You'll be turning tables in no time."

"Well, I have a good teacher."

I made a quick glance at the clock and let out a relieved, hysterical laugh when I saw it was time for me to leave.

"So, um, it's time for me to go. Have a good night and I'll see you… around." _God I hope not_.

"Oh, it's time for me too."_ Are you kidding me?_ "How about you _see_ me tonight?"

_I think I just threw up in my mouth._

I tried looking for James to save me like he did with Jane, but of course, he was nowhere to be found.

"Gosh, I'd love to, but…" _Think, think. Did I just say 'Gosh?'_ "I've already got plans. Bye."

I ran for it, but not before hearing her say, "Some other time. See you then Eddie."

James had a laugh about it all.

"I wish I'd been there man," he managed to say.

"Shut up."

He finally started to calm down after several minutes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. So…" he dragged out. "Are you going to take her up on her offer?"

"Good night, James." I yelled over his new round of laughter.

I fell into bed, mentally exhausted, trying to prepare myself for the next round of painful dreams.

Bella was there of course, but Lauren was there too.

When I woke up, I couldn't remember any other parts of my dream, but I had a bad feeling there was more to it than I would want to remember.

_This isn't going to end well._

* * *

_**one last note, the song in the beginning is Perfect World by Simple Plan, and there will be a link in my profile.**_


	24. Chapter 23: Another Wedding

**_i don't own twilight, this is just a random story line of mine and i borrowed the names and characters, i am definitely not the one making money from this lol _**

**_here we go... i'm so excited... i'll try to post these next chapters closer together, because even i was getting impatient trying to find the time to finish them lol... i hope you like this line i'm taking... i know Bella's thoughts might be all over the place, but she's kinda lost right now... everything will clear up in time :)_**

* * *

Chapter 23: Another Wedding

**BPOV**

Thursday

Married 3 months, 1 week and 6 days

The last month has been mostly decent.

Jake and I have been taking things day by day. To which Alice said is no way to spend the next few months leading up to our wedding. 'Take two' as she likes to call it.

I could see her point, but I can't risk things with Jake again. Despite the way things have been between us lately, and despite what kind of difference I _think_ there is with Edward, Jake is still my life. He has been for so long. And even through all that's happened these last few months, he still loves me. He doesn't have to say it… in fact; he hasn't for a while come to think of it. But I can still see it in his eyes.

Work has been quiet lately. Either that or I've been zoning out while I'm there. It's the few times I have to think about something else, rather than my destroyed life.

Alice, Rosalie, Angela and I have continued to have our lunches as usual. The only difference is Angela having more part in them. With the truth of her and Ben finally out, she hasn't been shy telling us all about him. Just about a week ago, Alice and Rose agreed to go with her to _La Bella  
Italia_ under the cover of having lunch and meeting the man who has brought out a whole new side of Angela. Of course only I knew the real reason why they went; to see Edward. And only they knew why I didn't join them.

Angela and I started our usual noon walk to the diner a little late. Well, she was walking, I had to run to keep up with her, and that ultimately made up our lost time.

She was walking at a light, fast pace that made her look like she was floating. And the smile on her face that made her glow only helped that image.

I could tell by the looks on Rosalie and Alice's faces, they saw the difference too. They didn't even give us a chance to sit down before beginning their interrogation.

"Now what's going on with you?" Rose asked.

"Jeez guys. Can't I have a minute to get settled first?"

Alice laughed. "You can _settle_ while you talk. Spill."

I was almost afraid to hear what was going on. I know it makes me sound awful, but it was hard to hear all the great things Ben was doing for her, when Jake hasn't for a while.

_He forgave you. Isn't that enough?_

Of course it is, but it would still be nice to know he loves me after all this.

Angela spent a few moments looking over the menu, looking like Alice does when she has a secret.

Rosalie and Alice on the other hand, looked like they were about to start screaming.

"Angela," I whispered. "You might want to start talking before they lose it."

"Okay, okay. Um…" she trailed off. "Ben is… he's…. he's moving to L.A. in a few weeks."

We sat quietly and confused. _That didn't make any sense._

Rose spoke first. "I'm sorry, but… if that's the big secret, why are you so happy?"

"Because I'm moving with him."

"What?" Alice screeched.

"Why?" Rosalie begged.

"Well, after this weekend, I'll be his wife. So it kinda makes sense."

Alice screamed, making the whole restaurant jump and look at us.

"Alice, will you keep quiet?" I hissed, sinking into my seat.

"No I will not. Why didn't you tell us sooner? Why this weekend? We can't plan a whole wedding in… what… _two days?_"

"Two and a half." Angela corrected.

"You're starting to sound like Bella."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" I asked.

"Take your pick."

"Okay, calm down kiddies." Rosalie hushed. "Angela, are you sure about this?"

"More than anything," she beamed.

"Then I guess we've got some work to do."

Alice was throwing a silent 'Alice Fit' until Angela told her she and Rosalie could be bride's maids and pick out their own dresses.

Of course that just opened the flood gates and Alice started to voice her opinions on other wedding details and ideas. But Angela held strong. It was almost shocking. For someone so shy, she wasn't afraid to have _her_ thoughts on _her_ wedding made clear.

I wish I was the same way.

An hour later, we left to go back to work. I was actually able to keep up with Angela on this trip.

"So Bella… I need to ask you something." The confidence she carried at the diner was now gone. She seemed so nervous it was starting to make me nervous.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she jumped to explain. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Alice and Rose, because I love you all equally, but you and I… we understand each other, we think the same way. And I know you won't blow this out of proportion."

"Blow what out of proportion?"

"Being my maid of honor?"

I gasped. "Really?"

"Yes. I don't have time to run to the different stores and finalize everything. And I'm afraid they, Alice more so than Rose, will change something to something else. I know it would only be to try to help make it beautiful, but I want this to be simple and my own. And it'll turn out beautiful too, right?"

"Angela, calm down. You're over thinking things. I'd love to and everything will be great."

"Okay," she nodded. "I'm just… this is all happening so fast."

"Why is it?" I had to ask. Angela has never been one to jump to something so big so fast.

"Me and my stupid mouth. A couple weeks ago, we were talking about the future and what we saw in it. I told him I always imagined myself getting married, going on a long honeymoon to anywhere and everywhere and then… be a housewife, a stay at home mom. With his job he would make enough to support us. And I've already gotten permission to work from home. At least until we have kids."

"Wow, I guess I didn't realize how serious things were between you two."

"I didn't either. But when he said he was moving, I was about to beg him to… at least _want_ me to go with him. Then he proposed, and I never even had to think about it. My answer has always been yes."

"I'm happy for you," I said as I pulled her into a hug. "So where do we start your happily ever after?"

"There's going to be an engagement-slash-rehearsal dinner tomorrow night. The wedding will be Saturday evening. Then we're off for a three week honeymoon to almost a dozen different countries before we land in L.A. and start our new life. This is crazy isn't it? Impossible to have a wedding in this short of time?"

"Not at all," I laughed. "I've heard of weddings planned in minutes."

"Really? How did those turn out?"

"Long story."

_Longer than you would believe._

When I made it back into my office, the weight of everything finally clicked into place.

Alice was pregnant.

Angela was getting married and moving.

Jake and I hardly ever talk.

And Edward… there's still something different about him.

This wedding, my title and the possibility I'll be dateless through it all, was going to make this the longest weekend of my life.


	25. Chapter 24: What Next?

**_i own nothing... still_**

**_finally... a few days later than i had hoped... i blame work again... but if it helps at all... i'm planning on posting the next chapter Thursday... it's my day off so work shouldn't get in the way..._**

* * *

Chapter 24: What next?

**BPOV**

Friday

Married 3 months and 2 weeks

It was only ten in the morning and I was already sick of weddings, flowers and Angela's ringtone on my phone.

No matter how many times I reassured her everything was going fine and on time, she still felt the need to call every fifteen minutes to check.

She was turning into Alice.

It was very lucky I was ahead on my work and could afford to take today off, or else I'd really be losing my mind.

After two more hours of eating more cake than I have ever had in my life, I finally begged Angela to let me have a break.

I knew I couldn't eat anymore and as much as I loved them, I also knew I couldn't stand to have the usual lunch with Alice, Rose and Alice-For-The-Weekend Angela.

So I went to visit Jake at the shop.

I haven't had a chance to ask him if he would like to come with me this weekend. I couldn't see why he wouldn't, but I couldn't see why he would. If that made any sense at all.

Things were quiet when I walked in. Everyone must have left for their break.

I finally found Jake in a far corner working under the hood of a very old, very beat up car.

"Knock, knock."

Jake looked up and gave a small smile. "Hey Bells. What's up?"

"Angela is getting married." I blurted.

The smile instantly disappeared and I could tell why.

"Good for her," he said as he went back under the hood.

I can't say anything right anymore.

_Suck it up. You have to at least ask._

"Yeah, and um… the wedding is this weekend. I'm maid of honor for some reason."

"Well, you and Angela have always been close. You relate more with her than the other two."

"Alice and Rosalie," I mumbled. _They have names._ "So… will you come with me? Will you be my date?"

Jake straightened out and slammed the hood down. "We've been really busy lately. I need to stay and work."

"Why can't Sam or… or Quil, or anyone else work on this? It's just a few hours, Jake."

"Bella." He sighed and pulled on his long hair. "Please don't make me go to a wedding. Please?"

_Oh. _

"Jake, I'm sorry. I won't… you don't have to. I shouldn't have…"

"Have fun. I'll see you later." He turned and headed to his office.

"Jake," I tried to call after him. But it was useless. His door slammed before I could even take a step toward him.

He was hurting… again.

And it was my fault… again.

The rest of the day was a blur that I desperately wanted to get out of. I knew I couldn't go to the party acting like this.

Talking to Jake reminded me why I should have turned down Angela's offer. She would have understood, right?

But when I made it to her parents house, where the party was being held, I understood why I did.

Angela was glowing. I've never seen her so happy.

She wanted _me_ to be her maid of honor. It would have been selfish to deny her that just because of my stupid mistakes.

Angela took me around to meet everyone. It was nice to be around people who didn't know I was supposed to be married by now and why I wasn't.

Her mother was exactly like her. Kind, soft spoken but willing to stand up when needed. Her father didn't say much, but pride was shining in his eyes. I think I even caught him letting a few tears through when Angela sat down next to Ben to eat. The love was obvious.

Alice and Rose caught me after an hour of floating around meeting the rest of Angela's family and Ben's as well.

"Hey Bell," Rose said. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. I'm happy for Angela. Really. It's not like I'm never getting married."

"Yeah, but isn't it odd?" Alice spoke up.

"Is what odd?"

Rose shot Alice the look that has become their signature. And I still can't figure out what it's supposed to mean.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"Nothing. Everything is fine. Um…" Rose is stuttering again.

"Rose, answer me."

"I have to go get Emmett away from the buffet before we're all out of something to eat."

"I have to go help," Alice added before they both ran off in different directions.

_What is going on with them?_

I started to head after Rosalie, deciding she was the lesser of two evils, when Angela stopped me.

"Bella, you have to come meet Ben."

She started to pull me in the direction Alice went in and stopped just inside the dining room.

The room was the most crowded in the large house. If there were multi colored lights and loud music, I would have thought it was Twilight again, complete with the Edward look-a-like in the corner.

_Wait, is he talking to Alice?_

Angela took off again, pushing her way into the middle of the room where Ben was waiting.

"Ben, this is Bella," she introduced. "Bella… this is Ben."

"Hi," I said weakly.

"Bella, it's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Thanks, I can say the same for you."

He was charming; I could see why Angela would fall so in love with him. He was exactly what she always described as her 'Dream Husband.'

"You made it!" I heard Angela yell at a guy behind Ben.

_Oh no._

"Yeah, I was surprised too." Ben said. _Bronze hair._ "Parties really aren't his thing." _Green eyes._ "But when I promised none of the girls from work will be here," _That jaw. _"He finally agreed."

_It can't be._

Ben slapped the guys shoulder. "Bella, this is Edward. My best man."

* * *

_**i'll admit... i**_** _think this is my favorite ending to a chapter so far... next up... Edward will have his say_**


	26. Chapter 25: Small World

_**i don't own anything.. just a bed that's calling my name**_

**__****_late thursday, but still here... there just isn't enough hours in the days anymore... not sure when the next update will be... but i'll try to get it out soon... i'm excited for it..._**

* * *

Chapter 25: Small World

**EPOV**

When Ben asked me to be his best man, to say I was shocked would be an understatement.

But when he explained his thought process, I understood why.

When it came down to it, he had three choices. A friend from college, who was the walking description for 'Trust Fund Baby.' James, who thinks everything is a party and did admit he probably would have tried to turn it into one. Or me.

He said I was the 'Most normal friend he had.'

If he only knew.

I agreed and asked what I could do to help. His only request was for me to go to the engagement party Friday night.

Another party, another Friday and I gave in again.

I was attempting to hide in a corner in the dining room when suddenly I felt small hands trying to drag me out.

"You have to leave. She doesn't know yet. It's better this way."

I easily shrugged off the attacker and turned to face them.

"Alice?"

"The one and only. Now let's go." She resumed her attack only this time pushing me toward the doors.

"Go? Why?"

_What on earth is she talking about?_

"Look I can explain everything later. Right now you need to go tell Ben goodbye and follow me." With that, she gave me one final push with strength I never would have thought someone so small to have, and ran out of the room.

I decided it was probably best to listen to her and walked over to Ben.

Just as I came up behind him, Angela spotted me and seemed surprised to see me here.

We met officially just the other day and it was almost like meeting the sister I never had. She sensed something was wrong, but didn't intrude. All she did was reassure me that everything would turn out okay.

She was one of the only reasons why I agreed to show up tonight.

As Ben was introducing me, I looked up and found my other reason.

"And this is Bella. My maid of honor." Angela said.

_Bella? My Bella?_

No Jake's Bella.

_But I don't see him anywhere._

"Edward," Bella finally spoke. _Do they know?_ "It's nice to meet you." _Guess not._

"You as well," I managed to say.

It killed me to act like I didn't know her. I loved her and, for now at least, she was my wife. My first wife. The first person I've really loved. Most likely the only on both counts. No divorce could change that fact.

I hid the rest of the party, doing my best to avoid her. From the looks of it, she was doing the same. It was painful, but if it's what she wants.

Alice apologized and said she never saw them picking both of us. They irony was beyond her grasp.

Looking back, I should have seen it coming. Rosalie and Alice have joined Angela several times for lunch at _La Bella Italia_ recently, but since Bella was never with them, I figured Angela was a friend of theirs, not Bella's as well.

Once again, luck was not on my side.

The next morning at work was the craziest day we've had in months. Figures it would be the day my mind was the most scattered.

When James finally dragged himself into work, a half hour late, I decided to give him a rundown of what was going on at the wedding tonight since, despite his threats, Ben still invited him and Victoria.

"Okay, what's wrong with you now?" he yelled as I dragged him into the alley behind the restaurant.

"James, I know it might be impossible for you, but I need you _and_ Victoria to keep your mouths shut tonight."

"And Vikki?" he laughed. "Sure, I'll get right on that."

"I'm serious. You can't say a word about my marriage."

"Why?"

"Because Bella is going to be there… and no one knows what really happened."

"Ouch. I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything. Chances are you two won't even cross anyway."

"She's the maid of honor."

The asshole busted up laughing. "Are you serious? That's too perfect. What are the odds?"

"Please," I begged. "I'm not asking you to do it for me, it's for her. If she doesn't want anyone to know, I won't force her to tell them."

"Alright, but don't expect Victoria to keep her mouth shut all night. She'll tell you what she thinks before the night is over."

"As long as it's not at the wedding, I wouldn't expect anything less."

We jumped back into work and didn't get a chance to breathe until several hours later.

By then it was well after two in the afternoon, which only left three hours until the wedding.

For once, I actually wish time would slow down again. But it didn't last long. Once Lauren started her shift, I was happy I only had an hour left here.

I managed to work out my schedule with Aro, so now Lauren and I only passed each other when I was leaving and she was coming in. It worked out pretty well until tonight, where there would be a gap.

_Of course that would happen now._

She was once again trying to ask me to go out with her, when James ran up.

"Um, Ed, you've got a visitor."

"Who?"

"Bella," he said quietly, obviously trying to follow what I asked him earlier. Only this time, I wanted him to say something.

"Oh, _Bella_. You mean my _wife_?"

He looked confused for a moment before he must have realized where I was going with this.

"Yeah, your wife. Your beautiful wife, who you love very much." _Okay, now he's laying it on kinds thick._

Lauren looked more lost than usual until I flash my left hand still wearing the gold band that started it all.

She tried to act like she'd never seen it before, but it was so fake it only made her look like an idiot.

I managed to pry myself away from her claws and pulled James off to the side.

"Were you serious?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's really out there."

"Go tell her I'll be out in a minute, I've got to finish up at one of my tables."

"Not a problem," he replied and went back to the floor.

I went as fast as I possibly could, but it wasn't fast enough. By time I made it to Bella, Lauren was waiting as well.

"Lauren, what are you doing? You are on the other side." _Is she trying to torture me?_

"I was just catching up with an old friend, Eddie?"

_Friend?_

"Oh, I didn't know you two knew each other."

"Yeah, back in high school. Isn't that right Bella?"

"Um, sure." Bella blushed.

"How do _you_ know Bella?" Lauren asked.

_Please Lauren, just go away._

After some quick thinking, and probably not the best, I decided to go with the truth Well… part of it at least, in hopes of making her back off.

"She's my wife." I ignored Bella's glares. "You remember James and I talking about her."

"Oh, wow." Lauren gritted her teeth. "I wouldn't have guessed."

Bella sank into her chair and I became beyond pissed.

"Lauren, maybe you should get back to work." I said forcefully.

She actually had the nerve to look shocked. "Okay, I guess I'll see you guys later."

When she was finally out of hearing range, I fell into the seat in front of Bella.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I had no idea you were friends."

"We're _not_ friends. At all."

"Oh, but she said…"

"We went to the same high school together. That's it," she finished quietly.

After a minute of silence, I realized what I'd done.

I told someone we were married. Someone she knew.

"She knows now," I said.

"Knows what?"

"About us. I mean, does Angela even know?"

"First off, Lauren can think whatever she wants. It's not like she doesn't already anyway. And with Angela, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." She straightened in her seat. "We have to act normal. Like nothing happened."

_Easier said than done._

"Can I ask why? I thought she was a friend?"

"She is. I just… _we_ just want to keep it as quiet as possible."

And there was that magic word: We.

Not her and I. Her and Jake.

They wanted… _she_ wanted to act like I didn't exist.

"At least for tonight," she jumped to correct.

I was able to breathe a bit easier with that knowledge, but I still couldn't let myself jump to conclusions.

_Follow the rules!_

"Of course," I said. "Whatever you want Bella."

And I meant it. I would do anything and everything she asked me, no questions asked.

"Thanks, um… I should probably go. I'm already running behind and I don't want Angela to have an Alice moment. More than she already has, that is."

We said our goodbye's and I went back to work, dreading the next couple hours more than ever.

We were in a small hallway in the courthouse, just a few feet from where Ben and Angela would be married. And just a few more feet from where Bella and I got married.

Ben was sweating like crazy and had been pacing for almost twenty minutes.

James was making crude comments in attempt to scare him.

And I was supposed to keep an eye out for the girls, just in case. Alice made me swear I wouldn't let Ben see Angela even a minute before. She was determined to get her way on at least one thing this weekend.

Ben started to rehearse the vows he'd written for the tenth time in as many minutes. By now, both James and I knew them by heart.

But they were both drowned out as soon as Bella rounded the corner wearing a simple royal blue dress that made her skin glow.

I stood straighter and held my hands behind my back, to try stopping myself from seeing if her bare shoulders were as soft as they looked.

"Is Ben ready?" she asked.

"I think so, if James hasn't scared him too much that is."

She gave a small laugh, making her eyes shine and my heart break.

_Pretend like nothing happened._

"You look beautiful," I slipped.

A full blush broke out across her face and down her neck, never stopping until the dress started.

"Thanks. We should go. Alice and her clone are waiting."

"Clone?"

"Angela," she whispered.

I laughed and hooked her arm with mine as James dragged Ben behind us.

* * *

**_two things... one, i was just wondering how many of you remembered Lauren from the Prologue *giggle*... and two... i've been working on outtakes... i have about 7 planned out (hopefully)... and i was wondering if there were any spots you wanted explained or told in another POV... it might be on my list, it might not... we'll see_**


	27. Chapter 26: Too Close

Way overdue. I could go on with why, but I won't.

I have always said I will finish this, and I stand by that. I have other stories I want to tell. This will be finished first.

Thank you to anyone still with me. I wouldn't be surprised if many have given up. But I promise I won't.

I own nothing related to Twilight. Just my little story I keep plugging away on.

* * *

Chapter 26: Too Close

**BPOV**

This day has brought back nothing but bad memories.

Of all people for Edward to work with, it had to be Lauren.

The girl who made my high school years a nightmare. The girl who made it her life mission to ruin mine.

Then again, if it wasn't for her I wouldn't have my four best friends.

Standing in the court house was another moment filled with mixed memories and emotions.

It's where Edward and I got married. It's where I ruined the relationship I had with Jacob, but started a strange one with Edward.

I tried to stop myself from thinking about it, but it didn't work. I asked for things to be normal and so far Edward has followed my request.

I however, have already lost count how many times I've almost slipped.

Today, it's felt like Jake doesn't exist. He refused to come with me, he won't answer my calls, and what's worse; that started before this weekend.

This weekend is tearing me in half.

One half, the old half, is still loyal to Jake. Nothing can change all the years we've spent together. Nothing can change all the love we had… _have_ for each other.

Then there's the other half, the new half; that wants to follow Edward. To know everything there is about him. To learn about his highs and lows and be there for his new ones. Either as a friend or…

_Stop. Not now._

This is Angela's day. I will not ruin it.

When Ben was finally able to see Angela, you could see how instantly he relaxed. All of his nerves, all of his fears, were gone. Angela simply calmed. No more Alice clone. No more bridezilla. Just a shy girl who was madly in love.

As we gathered around the judge, Alice, Rosalie, Ben and Angela's parents stood in the back. While Edward and I were up front with Ben and Angela in between us.

I tried to focus on what was being said, but every time I glanced in Edward's direction, it was all wiped away. He never took his eyes off of me.

Angela had spent most of the afternoon writing her own vows. She and Ben agreed it would be more personal. I found myself trying to remember what Edward and I chose.

"Ben," she said, on the brink of tears. "I've been trying to figure out what to say, how I could tell you how much you mean to me. But I'm not a writer. I'm not a poet. I can't write something beautiful enough to suffice. I'm just happy. Thanks to you, I'm the happiest I've ever been. Happier than I ever thought possible. And I love you beyond words for making me feel this way."

Both Angela and Ben's mothers broke out in hysterical tears, while the rest of us attempted to hide our laughter. It was like something out of a movie.

"Angela," Ben managed to say after coughing to cover up his laughs. "You don't need to be anything more than you are."

I looked up and caught Edward's eyes again. Only this time I couldn't look away as he silently spoke the vows with Ben… toward me.

"You're perfect. You're more than my friend, my love, my dreams, my night and day. You're my life. Now and forever."

They finished the wedding in what seemed like lightning speed, while Edward and I just stared at each other.

_This is too much._

About an hour later, we were all crowded in a small hotel banquet room, surrounded by everyone Angela or Ben had ever met in their lives. For a wedding that was supposed to be small, the reception was huge.

As fate would have it, who ever made the seating arrangement – most likely Alice – decided to place Edward and I next to each other at the same table as Rose, Emmett, Jasper and Alice.

They of course ran off quickly, each headed to do their own thing. Emmett at the buffet, again. Rose trying to pull him away so she could talk to Angela, again. And after several 'Alice Pouts' Jasper agreed to dance despite the fact he would rather have her resting.

Edward and I sat quietly. I watched everyone dance, wishing I could be as graceful, and Edward watched me.

When the DJ was announcing he was about to play the last slow song, Edward finally spoke.

"Would you like to dance?"

"Oh, no. That's… dangerous." _In more ways than one._

He laughed and went to stand in front of me, holding out his hand.

"It's all in the leading," he insisted. "I won't let you fall."

_It's too late._

I relented and followed him to the middle of the dance floor. My knees almost buckled when he pulled me into his arms. The static was alive. My heart was pounding. And the chills returned to my spine.

We danced slowly, never tripping over each other or anyone else. He moved with ease and I somehow managed to follow. It was like our bodies knew what the other would do, how they would move, and moved accordingly.

"See, you're dancing," he said.

"And I haven't sent anyone to the hospital yet." I laughed.

He held my gaze for several minutes, never missing a step. I however, started to fall further and further into his deep green eyes. The haze had fallen over us and we were the only ones there.

_You have to snap out of this._

I finally tore myself away, breaking the bond and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Don't look at me like that," I begged.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm not getting married soon. Like…"

"Like we're not getting a divorce soon?"

I gasped, snapping my eyes open. My words were lost. His eyes were so intense, it was making me lightheaded.

The song quietly ended and the other couples started to scatter off the dance floor.

Only we remained.

Gently, he lifted my right hand up toward his lips and placed a soft kiss there. So soft, if it wasn't for the sparks his touch continued to send throughout my body, I wouldn't have known it at all.

"Thank you for the dance," he whispered.

Everything was so delicate. His touch, his voice, his eyes. Everything was so full of…

Love?

_Oh no._

"I have to go."

I tore myself away from him and ran out of the hotel. I could hear him calling for me. I could feel him behind me. But I kept running. I needed to get away. Away from my mistakes.

"Bella, please, wait!"

**EPOV**

_What have I done?_

Everything was going perfect. And I ruined it by taking things too far.

She's seen my real feelings, I know she did. I've done so well keeping them hidden, being grateful for what I _do_ have, and then tonight I blow it all away.

I ran after her at full speed, amazed she was able to go so fast with her clumsiness and high heels. I'm yelling her name, begging her to turn around. Praying for another chance.

"Just leave me alone Edward!"

_No. Not that. Anything but those words._

My most important rule.

Rule 4.

_If she says leave her alone, __**leave her alone**_**.**

The one I fought with James about the most. Now I wish he'd won.

"Please." I gave one last beg.

She finally stopped, but never turned around.

"I'm sorry, I just can't."

And she was gone.

I didn't go after her.


	28. Chapter 27: In and Out of Shadows

A little faster. Finally got a day off to read over and post today. Thanks to all who stuck with me. It really means a lot.

I own nothing but my little thoughts.

* * *

Chapter 27: In and Out of Shadows

**BPOV**

Sunday

Married 4 months, 1 week and 3 days.

_I was at a church. Somehow I knew that._

_I was getting married. Somehow I felt that._

_Charlie was trying to walk me down the aisle, but it was a wasted effort. Half way through the church, I froze. I couldn't move if I wanted to._

_I was being pulled in each direction. But I wanted to go forward._

_The man at the end was reaching for me. I felt like I knew him, even though I couldn't see him._

_I kept fighting the pull that was trying to force me back out the door while the pull coming from the front was becoming stronger._

_Suddenly, something snapped. I went falling forward toward the man at the end and landed in his outstretched arms._

_The most amazing of shocks ran throughout my body, followed by a soft voice from the faceless shadow._

"_I won't let you fall."_

Needless to say when I woke up at five am after that dream, I couldn't fall asleep.

In fact, every night for the past three weeks it's been the same way.

The dream I first had a few months ago, has now evolved into this nightmare.

It's all I see anymore. It hasn't changed in all the nights I've dreamt it. No matter how hard I try, I can't see the man's face. Nor can I remember whose voice it is. When I'm in my dream, I feel like I remember it. When I'm awake, it's just a sound.

It's frustrating.

This past weekend was spent helping Angela pack for her move to California. Add Alice's first doctor's appointment on Friday and my lack of sleep, and I'm on the verge of a breakdown.

I'm an emotional wreck.

I'm happy, sad, excited, confused and annoyed every minute of every day.

Not to mention the twist in my stomach I've had since my dance with Edward.

There was no doubt anymore.

Edward loved me.

Jake loved me.

And I could no longer give a straight answer to either of them.

I decided to take Sunday off, in hopes of catching up on my sleep. It didn't work.

Sometime in the afternoon, after my eighth failed attempt at taking a nap, someone knocked on my door.

I almost didn't answer it, afraid of what new stress was behind that piece of wood, but like a bad horror movie, I opened it anyway.

Of all the people I expected to see – Alice, Jake, Edward, Freddy, Jason, - the last one I would have ever guessed would be my father.

"Um, hey dad. What's up?" I asked.

He scratched the back of his neck and shifted from foot to foot. "Well… Bells… uh," _Oh this won't be good. _"Can I come in? We need to talk."

_Nope. Definitely not good._

I invited him in, but he didn't come but a few feet from the door.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" I pressed.

"That's what I wanted to ask you."

"I don't understand." I hate that I have to say that so much lately, but I really don't. This is not at all where I saw my life going. And I have no idea where it will end up. Not even a clue.

"Bella, you know how small Forks is. News and… gossip spreads quickly."

I gave a nervous laugh, trying to brush it off. "Meaning they're trying to figure out why Jake and I aren't married, right?"

"Something like that."

Great. I can only imagine what that little town has come up with.

"Dad, when have you ever listened to gossip?"

"When they're saying something about _my _daughter. Most of the stuff has no grounds, evidence. Just made up stories. But, there's one. One that really got my attention."

"Which is?"

It must be bad if it has Charlie worried.

"It's being said that you're married to Lauren Mallory's boyfriend. She's said she saw you two together. Each wearing rings. Each saying you two were married."

"He's not her boyfriend." I snapped.

"But is he your husband?"

_Shit._

"It's complicated."

"Complicated?" he yelled. "Isabella, what the hell does that mean?"

I could count on one hand how many times he's ever called me Isabella and none of them were under good circumstances.

"It means that in a couple of weeks, it won't matter." _I think._

"It won't... What? Damn it Bella. This isn't like you. This isn't something you would do. When was it? Who was it?"

"It doesn't matter," I tried to calm him. "It's done and soon it'll be over."

I tried desperately to ignore the way my heart stopped beating for a minute at that thought. This is what these last few months have been leading up to. I've always know that, but I've never felt this. I never knew that one simple dance…

No, that was wrong. It wasn't just the dance, it's always been there. I just didn't want to admit it.

"Can you at least tell me why?" he begged, looking much older all of the sudden.

"I don't know why." This is what I was trying to avoid. Leave it to Lauren to attempt to destroy my life again. "It just happened."

"Come here kid," he mumbled before pulling me into a hug.

It was the most comfort I've felt in a while. To go back, even for a moment, to when I was just daddy's girl without a care in the world. Charlie wasn't much for showing emotion; but we both knew this was what I needed.

Suddenly, he started to laugh a little. "Does your mom know?"

"God, no. Can you imagine what she would say?"

"Yeah, I guess I would known by now if she did. You_ should_ tell her, you know."

"I know, we'll see."

Being a man of few words, Charlie left soon after that, telling me to be careful and that he hopes I know what I'm doing.

I didn't tell him that I hoped so too.


	29. Chapter 28: Surprise

So I'm still not good at getting updates out but hopefully getting better. Trying new ways to push myself. I started a blog. Link should hopefully be on my profile (if I can get it to work with me.) My goal is to post teasers there for this and other stories I'm working on. Fingers crossed.

And as allways, I own nothing but an odd little story line and now a blog. Reviews are loved but just seeing the number of readers is amazing too.

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Chapter 28: Surprise

**BPOV**

Monday

Married 4 months, 2 weeks and 4 days

Renee found out.

Turns out the gossip reached across country, by way of an old high school friend asking who the new guy was.

She almost broke my phone from all of her yelling.

For someone who is against marriage, to find out their only child married someone she barely knew – I stretched the truth a little – was apparently the end of the world.

I spent most of Friday trying to calm her down and assure her I didn't need her to fly out any earlier. By Saturday, whenever my phone rang, I refused to answer it and let the answering machine pick up.

Most calls were Renee. Two were from Charlie, begging me to answer my mother so she would stop calling him. Another from Angela, saying she was finally settled in. And one from Jake, where he spoke less than ten words and ended it with saying, "Later."

No 'I love you.' No countdown to the wedding like before. No 'Call me back' or 'I'll call you back.' His message was over before I really realized it was him.

By time the evening came around I was one call away from unplugging the phone.

It rang as soon as I thought that.

Once again I let the answering machine pick up, expecting to hear Renee on the other end again.

But it wasn't her.

"Hi Bella, its Carlisle. I know you're probably not answering your phone right now. Renee has called me too." He laughed. "I need to talk to you about the divorce."

I jumped up to answer it. "Carlisle? Hello?"

"So you are there. I was afraid you wouldn't answer."

"Yeah, well… like you said, Renee has been making my phone ring off the hook."

"Can't say I don't understand why. She's worried about you. Being an entire country away doesn't help matters any."

"I know. Um, you said something about the divorce. Is everything alright?" I asked, attempting to change the subject.

"Oh yes, everything is perfect actually. I managed to pull some strings and get it done early."

"You mean… it's over?" I was on the verge of tears. The most confusing part was I wasn't sure if they were happy or sad.

"Almost. I just need you and Mr. Masen to come down here and sign some papers. He's agreed to stop by Monday afternoon before I close. You can come in whenever works for you."

_He agreed?_

I don't know why I found that so shocking. After how I left things at the wedding, he probably thinks that's what I really want.

_It is, isn't it?_

Before I could change my mind, I told Carlisle I'd stop by at the same time. I figured it wouldn't hurt to see Edward and try to clear things over with him. He deserves at least that.

Monday morning I felt like I was getting ready for a date. I spent hours fighting my hair and trying to find an outfit that looked halfway decent on me.

By lunch I decided I was setting things straight. With my parents knowing, along with most of my home town, it was time to make a choice. I couldn't keep up with this splitting feeling.

And I couldn't keep dragging both Jake and Edward along.

I don't know what it is I feel for Edward, it's not like anything I've ever felt, but tonight, I'm going to find out. I'm going to end this.

The building's lobby was mostly quiet, as was the elevator ride to Carlisle's office. Most everyone had gone home, leaving today like any other day. Not knowing how much a person's life was about to change on the tenth floor.

There were so many possibilities, I had yet to decide. I knew I needed to choose, but I couldn't.

Choice one was Jake. My first choice. We'd been through a lot together. We have many years together. But lately, things have been shaky at best. I still love him. I just don't know if it's enough love anymore.

The second choice is Edward. My current husband. I barely know him, yet I want to. I've felt things for him I never thought possible. Things I still don't really understand. And I would love nothing more than to have him by my side as I figure them out. But the fact still remains, I _don't_ know him. Not well enough to throw away my life, the safety I have in it and the people I lean on.

Carlisle was the only one in the office when I arrived. I was almost relieved to have a few extra minutes before facing Edward.

Not one to waste time, Carlisle had me signing papers as soon as I sat down and I ended up finishing before Edward arrived.

Determined to see him, I stalled for a bit, talking to Carlisle about everything I could think of. Even if I had heard the same stories before.

Of course his watchful eyes caught me checking the door several times, though he never said anything and went along with it.

I felt the odd spark begin to ignite in my spine and knew before the knock on the door he was finally here.

The shocked, scared, longing look on his face when he walked in, will forever be engraved in my mind.

He was polite, saying hello to both of us, but never attempted to start a conversation. It was clear he didn't want to be there, nor did he agree with what he was doing.

But he was doing it for _me._

Having to watch him sign those papers was the hardest thing in the world. In a different time, in a different place, maybe we could be together. I knew he felt something for me and I felt something for him.

I knew.

I've spent almost five months fighting it, but it was always there.

"That's everything." I heard Carlisle say. "By morning, you two will be divorced."

Edward mumbled a quick thanks and headed out the door.

Working off my own revelation, I followed.

"Edward," I called, pleading for a chance I don't deserve.

He turned around, but seemed hesitant to do so.

"Can we talk?" he asked before I got a chance.

"I'd like to."

"Bella… I'm sorry. I promised myself… I promised _you_ I wouldn't push you."

"It's okay. It was just as much as my fault." I stopped his protests. "It is. I know it; don't try to change my mind."

He laughed. "Then can I at least try to make up for my part?"

And once again, despite what my head was trying to tell me, my heart spoke up.

"Sure."


	30. Chapter 29: Edward's Story

**BPOV**

Monday

Married 4 months, 2 weeks and 4 days

Edward was a perfect gentleman. He took me out to eat where we talked like old friends; anything revolving around us wasn't discussed. He held doors, pulled out my chair and completely ignored the waitress who was desperately trying to get his attention.

After dinner, we walked to the park across the street.

"When I was young, my parents used to bring me here," he explained. "It's one of my favorite places."

He told me story after story; memories of his adventures. I'd never seen him so animated, so boy-like. We walked the whole park; we even went down a few slides that had a feature role in parts of his life.

It was fun. It was nice to be so open with him.

Towards the end of our walk we stopped in front of the largest tree in the park.

"This is where we spent the most time. Picnics, books, naps even. You could always find us here. It was their favorite spot. It's where my father proposed to my mother."

"It's beautiful." I sighed.

Even with the sun setting, there was still a glow about the tree. The leaves were a perfect deep green color that reminded me of…

_Say it._

… Edward's eyes. As much as I don't want to admit it, it was a match that I instantly noticed.

We continued walking and eventually sat down on a bench next to a huge water fountain. We stayed there in comfortable silence for a few minutes before he finally spoke up.

"Are you nervous? About the wedding, I mean."

"Not _today_," I laughed. "It'll probably hit me on the ride to the church."

He laughed too. "Yeah, that's usually how it works."

We fell back into silence only this time it wasn't as comfortable.

Finally he spoke again.

"I almost got married once, few years ago."

My mouth fell open in shock.

_Almost? Who the hell would let someone like him go when he actually wanted to be married?_

_And why do I care?_

He noticed my shocked expression and laughed.

"What? Is that really so shocking?"

"I-I just-I didn't," I stuttered. Really, what was I supposed to say? "What happened?"

That was the only thing I could think of. That's not too insensitive and personal, right? I mean, after all, I am still technically his wife. For tonight at least.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "That's a good question," he mumbled, more to himself than to me.

"Her name was Tanya. We met when we were 19 during our first year of college. She was the definition of a college party girl and I was the definition of a loner." He said, rolling his eyes. "We were together for about 2 years when my parents died. After that I realized she was all I had, all I thought I needed.

"After 3 weeks of planning, I proposed to her. She said yes and immediately started planning our wedding. The next few months were… amazing. We'd talk about what our wedding would be like and, every once and a while, we'd talk about what our life would be like. Never in too much detail, just how happy we would be.

"I knew I wanted to be like my dad. I wanted my own son – or daughter – to teach all I know, to love and be proud of. It didn't have to be right away. I had already figured neither one of us were ready anyway. But… eventually."

He took a deep breath. "She however, did not. She refused to even listen to me when I first brought it up. She just kept telling me to 'stop being ridiculous.'

"We began to fight constantly. I couldn't understand why not and she'd never tell me. She had much younger sisters that she got along with. I had no doubt she'd be just as great with her own child. I even tried to tell her that, but she wouldn't listen.

"Her family was… ecstatic that we were fighting. They never liked us together. Always telling her she should leave me, that I wasn't going anywhere in my life." He gave a short laugh. "Guess they were right."

He paused to take a deep breath and look down at his hands, while I sat there practically shaking. I was so overwhelmed with emotions; I didn't know which one to deal with first.

"I should have seen it coming," he said quietly, continuing his story. "Her parents suggested that she should go with them on a two week vacation; give us each time to think. She went of course and I never heard a word from her. I'd call, leave messages and she'd never return them. After the 2 weeks, she didn't come home and I still couldn't get a hold of her.

"So I went to her parent's house to see if she was there. When I got there, her mother answered the door with the biggest smile I've ever seen on anyone. I didn't even get a chance to say 'Hello' before she started telling me that Tanya wasn't coming back. She'd met and moved in with someone else while they were gone. Her mother told me how happy and madly in love Tanya was and that I should be happy for her.

"I left without saying a word. I was too… angry… and hurt to even think. I hated how happy her mother was at my misery and how Tanya didn't have the courage to tell me herself."

"That's why you told me it was better if _I _was the one who told Jake." It all started to make sense.

"Yes. Up until recently, I hadn't heard a word from her."

"Recently?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said uncomfortably. "You see… I almost didn't go out that night… _the _night. The night we met. I had pretty much sworn off going out anywhere, for anything."

"Why?"

"Whenever James and I were off for a weekend, we would go hang out somewhere. It was usually Victoria's choice. She's more into the clubs than we are. It was almost two months before we met. She was there."

Something in his eyes changed. They were unfocused, pained. Like he was reliving it. I almost didn't want to know.

"They were celebrating with friends, her and that guy. She just found out she was pregnant, their _fourth_ child. After that, nothing mattered. She was… well I thought she was my one chance at love, happiness, family."

"And now?"

His crooked smile made a quick appearance. "Now I know we never really loved each other."

"Oh Edward, that… that must have been awful." That's all I could say. Sure it wasn't the most sensitive thing to say, but it's all I could come up with.

We sat there quietly, both lost in our thoughts.

I felt so bad for him. He had no one and truly believed he would never have anyone. The closest he got to a 'Happily Ever After' was… with me. The scary thing was, I didn't mind. A part of me almost felt _happy._

After a few minutes it was once again Edward who broke the silence.

"It's getting cold. We should go before you get sick. I don't wanna be the reason why you don't get married again," he said with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.

He helped me off the bench and we walked toward the car. He, once again, like a gentleman, opened the car door for me, but I stopped him before he could shut it.

"Edward, for what it's worth, you _will_ make a great husband and father some day. I know it."

He gave me his crooked smile as an emotion I'd never seen before flashed through his eyes.

"Thank you." He said with so much feeling behind his words. Once again I was almost happy to know that I was the one making him feel like that.

He shut the door and started walking around the car, clearly deep in thought.

When he finally got in he sat there for a moment with his hands on the wheel.

"Bella, would you mind if we stopped at my place? There's something I want you to hear." He asked looking straight into my eyes.

"Sure." I nodded with a short smile.

He gave me another blinding smile and started the car.

All I could do was stare at him as he drove, both of us smiling the whole way.


	31. Chapter 30: Breaking All The Rules Now

**I'm trying to upload the new chapters without too much of a wait. For some reason the site won't work for me sometimes. But since we're nearing the end, I didn't want to leave long gaps and cliffhangers. Thanks for sticking around.**

**I don't own twilight.. just a few little ideas that i'm going to finish this year.**

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Chapter 30: Breaking All The Rules Now

**EPOV**

Have you ever had one of those dreams when you know where it's headed, but can't stop it?

I'm aware of how bad this will turn out. I'm aware I'm going against everything I've been saying for almost six months. I'm aware of how much harder I'm making things for Bella right now.

But I couldn't turn the car around.

I couldn't take her home and never see her again. Not tonight.

I'll pay for it later, I know.

But for now, I'm breathing in her scent like it's my last breath.

I'm memorizing every feature of her face like she's the last person I'll ever see.

I'm holding on to every extra beat my heart makes when ever she glances at me, knowing when she leaves, she'll be taking it with her.

My last chance to change my mind came and passed as I parked outside my apartment. I wouldn't have a better chance than tonight. James was spending the night at Victoria's. There would be no interruptions. No reason why I couldn't tell her everything I've felt.

We walked into my apartment and I had a flash back to all those months ago. The feeling I got with her beside me. It seemed like that's what I was supposed to be doing. This was the first time she'd been here since she left that morning, and quite possibly the last.

"Is there anything I can get you?" I asked.

"No, I'm okay thanks." She glanced around the room nervously. I could tell she was thinking the same as I was. I just couldn't figure out how she felt about that.

She turned to look at me and straightened her shoulders. "What did you want to show me?"

"Oh right," I pointed toward the piano bench, "have a seat."

She sat down on the left and I sat on the right. My left shoulder so close to touching hers.

"I've been playing around with a melody for a while now and I wanted you to hear it."

"This is something you wrote?"

I nodded. "With some inspiration."

She smiled with an unspoken question in her eyes. Instead of answering with words, I started to play.

I played her song. The song I started writing the day after I met her. The song that shows everything I see, everything I feel for her but can't put into words.

I couldn't look at her while I played. I was too afraid of what I would find. It was now or never.

**BPOV**

It was the most beautiful thing I've heard. The way his hands flowed over the keys, his face scrunching in concentration, swaying to the music. Every note that was played was a part of him.

It was a part of me.

It was the confusion, the fear... the love I've been feeling. The love he's been feeling.

I was the inspiration he talked about. Deep down I knew it.

And I loved him for it.

There was no denying how me made me feel. How it feels like my heart swells up when we're together, like his and mine become one.

I stared at his hands slowing on the keys until they stopped completely. I didn't realize he had moved or that I had been crying until his hands were gently brushing the tears off my cheeks.

I was numb but so overwhelmed with feelings. It was the strangest thing.

"Bella?" My eyes snapped to his at the sound of his voice. I found nothing but love and had no idea how I was able to deny it for so long.

"Bella, I can't give you everything that he can. I can't give you the jewelry, the dresses, the house, the car. I can't promise the kitchen will be stocked or the bills will be paid on time, like he can. I can only offer me. As little as that may be, it's all I've got. My heart is yours; it always has been and always will be. Even if you do marry him, it's yours."

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. His hands cradled my face and he continued to wipe off my tears. I couldn't tell if they were happy or sad. Most likely a mix of both.

My heart was breaking for this beautiful man sitting beside me. He came so close to happiness once and now he has a second chance. Unfortunately, that chance already belongs to someone else.

Edward had the ability to make my heart race and calm my mind with one touch. Loving him would be, and has been, easy and natural. There was no work up. No, 'I can love him.' I just did. I always did.

My life had become a routine before I met Edward. One that would have gone on for the rest of my life. I was scared to let go of that comfort, but I felt a pull towards the unknown.

"Say something," he begged.

"I have to go." I stood up and headed to the door. I had to leave before I did something I would regret again. I had to leave because I didn't know what I would regret more.

"Bella please." His voice stopped me at the door. _Let me go, Edward._"Tell me you don't love me. Tell me none of this has meant anything to you."

I turned to face him, pleading with my eyes. "Edward-"

"Say it," he cut me off. "Tell me that you never want to see me again, and you won't."

"What?"

"If you don't love me, if you don't want me, I'll leave. I will never bother you again. Tell me, and it'll be as if I never existed."

"I... I..." _No, not tonight. Don't make me choose now._ "Edward, I don't..."

One look at Edward and I lost my words. So much had happened between us in so little time. Every touch, every smile ran through my mind. Jake may have been what I wanted before, but Edward is what I need now.

"I can't," I sighed.

Edward took three long strides and pulled my lips to his. My fingers dug into his hair, his hands roamed my back and both of us lost our breath.

"I love you Bella," he said between kisses.

"Edward," I cried. "I love you too."

And I did.

I didn't leave that night, I couldn't. I held him and he held me. Every touch was gentle and full of meaning. Every kiss had the passion that was building up for five months. I committed every second to memory. I will not forget this in the morning.

Regretting it, however, was something I couldn't decide on yet.


	32. Chapter 31: The Morning After

**Few more chapters left, believe it or not. I just finished writing the rest. Now all that's left is to post them. After this long (too long I agree) road, we're finally on Chapter 31 of 36. Hang on tight.**

**Once again, I own nothing. Just a little pride that I finally finished something in my life.**

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Chapter 31: The Morning After

_I wish that I could tell you  
What you don't know  
I dream about that day  
But it's impossible  
In another world,  
I'll be yours tonight  
But I can't break free from this life_

**BPOV**

Sometimes life is like a movie you've seen dozen of times before. You know what's about to happen, you're not sure if you agree with it, you're almost afraid to watch, but you do because you can't change what happens.

I laid beside Edward as the morning sunlight filtered through his bedroom. We didn't sleep or speak. He would brush a stray hair away from my face or run his hand up and down my side, curving my body more with his. I would lean toward every touch.

I laid there with my head in the crook of his neck as my hand traced small patterns in the hair on his chest.

He wrapped his arms tighter around me and placed a light, loving kiss on my forehead…

… And I just laid there.

I felt… empty… but complete at the same time.

He gently took the hand lying on his chest and placed a light kiss in the palm.

"Are you sad?" he whispered quietly.

I shook my head slightly.

"Are you mad?"

I shook my head again with a little more force.

"No," I said, weakly.

"Do you regret it?" His voice cracked slightly and he cleared his throat. "Any of it?"

"I should," I sighed and tipped my head up to place a kiss on his jaw. "But no."

I felt him take a deep breath as he pulled me closer.

"I'll do what ever you want me to, Bella, what ever makes you happy."

I almost laughed.

I don't know what would make me happy anymore.

He didn't say anything else and soon after his breathing evened out, telling me he finally found sleep. I couldn't.

The sun grew brighter and I became more and more awake.

My mind, body, heart and soul were at war with each other.

My mind was reminding me of Jake. All the years we have together, all the years we had ahead of us. I no longer knew if they were still possible. Edward was right, with Jake's business picking up, he could give me everything I could, but probably wouldn't, ask for. Our family would be stable and happy. I could see our kids running along the beach when we visit home. It was something I'd been dreaming of for so long, it was weird to think there could be another option.

My body... well, I didn't let that part get too much thought into the process considering where I was laying. But that vote still went to Edward. The way we always seem to find each other, like magnets, and the way my skin crawls with static when ever he's near by, wasn't something I could just push aside without another thought.

Heart was the biggest problem. My love for both of them was there. There was no denying that. The only question was, who held the biggest part of my heart? Which one had the love you hear about where you can't breathe without the other? Was it my best friend? The one who's had it for years. Or the newest addition to my life. The one who I thought was stealing it before I realized I was giving it to him. My heart begs for the love I can get from Edward. But it breaks for the love I've gotten from Jake.

Last, there was soul. A combination of the three. Everything I am, everything I feel, everyone I love all wrapped up into one. My soul seemed just as lost as I was.

I'd like to think I slept some, but I'm not sure if I did. Either way, the sun started to shine brighter and I knew if I was going to leave, I had to do it soon.

I quietly got up and dressed, hoping I wouldn't wake Edward up. He stayed asleep, perfectly still in the morning golden glow. He seemed so warm and peaceful. It' broke my heart to know that when he woke up, he'd find that the glow was gone...

… and so was I.

_We talked about our lives  
Until the sun came out  
And now I'm thinking about  
How I wish I could go back  
Just for one more day  
One more day with you_

**EPOV**

I knew before I was fully awake that something wasn't right. That I was not waking up like I expected to. Without opening my eyes, I stretched both my arms beside me, feeling for something I was sure wouldn't be there.

When I finally did open my eyes, I did not find the beautiful woman I fell asleep next to. The one I promised to love. The one who said she loved me back.

I only saw a small object sitting on my bedside stand, catching what little light was left before the usual Washington weather settled in.

I didn't touch it to inspect it closer, I knew what it was. The little gold band that started this whole thing. The one I noticed resting on that one finger that made me realize what had happened that one night before.

Without moving over I reached across to the stand and pulled out it's top drawer. After shuffling around and throwing out random papers my fingers latched on to what I was looking for and I put the shelf back in it's place.

Then beside the small, delicate band, just like the woman who once wore it, I placed my larger, heavier one beside it.

I've heard James rant and rave about how pointless marriage is. How pieces of metal and a scrap of paper didn't mean anything and shouldn't define who you are. But looking into the middle of the only thing I have left of my love, it certainly defined me.

Empty.

James came home a few hours later to find me sitting on the couch in the dark.

"Bella isn't here, is she?" he asked.

"No James, she's gone."

He walked over and flopped on the couch beside me. "You really love her, don't you?"

"I've loved her since that first lunch. Maybe even before."

"I kinda figured." He nodded. "You changed after that. Not a bad change. You seemed... happier."

"I was."

"So now what?"

"Nothing." There wasn't a reason to do anything. Bella chose what would make her happier, that's all I wanted for her.

"_Nothing_? No new plan, James style?"

"As tempting as that sounds, no. No new plan." I tried to laugh a little, but nothing came out.

James left me alone for the rest of the day, agreeing he wouldn't push me to change my mind. Not that he could anyway. I did what I could do and now there's only one thing left.

Attempt to move on.


	33. Chapter 32: Trying

_**I don't own Twlight, just a silly little idea I first thought of seven years ago.**_

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**BPOV**

The weeks building up to the wedding have been crazy. Between Alice being Alice with pregnancy hormones on top and Rosalie being Rosalie with something she's not telling me; I'm at my ropes end.

At least I had Angela last time.

Not that I could fault her for this.

It's not her fault I didn't get married at the first planned wedding.

It's not her fault Alice and Rose are pushing me to plan a whole new one.

It's not her fault I haven't really talked to her since she moved.

She's left me messages saying she wanted to talk to me about something. She's sent countless e-mails asking if I was alright. Ben has even called a few times.

But I can't answer her.

I know what she wants to talk about. I know why she wants to know if I'm alright. And the truth is... I can't answer her.

I've forced myself not to think about what I've done. Not that it does any good.

My dreams continue with no answer. The only difference now is I wake up crying.

I force myself not to think about why. Not that it does any good.

Jake and I have been talking more. Not like we used to, but more. I try to spend every chance I can with him. I bring him lunch when he's working. I call on lunch when I can't stop by. I've tried to make several nice dinners, but he's only made it to two.

I force myself not to worry about what he thinks of me now. Not that it does any good.

It's in his eyes. He's still hurting. He still loves me. He's still angry.

But he's giving me a chance to fix this. A chance to make up for the one mistake that nearly ruined our five years together.

I try to force my heart not to break a little at the word mistake. Not that it does any good.

So here I am, a week before I get married and all alone.

I spent most of the day cleaning my apartment. It didn't need it since I had already cleaned it yesterday, but it was something.

When there wasn't an inch of dust left and my house was starting to smell like a cleaning aisle at Wal-Mart; I finally gave up and started to flip channels.

In what felt like a short blink; I jumped awake to a dark by night living room, the T.V. playing a show I've never heard of and my phone ringing insistently behind me.

In my haste I answered the phone without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" I croaked in my sleep covered voice.

"So you do have a phone that works," a familiar female voice replied.

"Angela?" _Oh shit. Not now._

"Hello Bella."

"How are you? How's married life?"

"Great actually. Ben is just…" she trailed off.

"That's good. I'm happy for you." We each paused. Even hundreds of miles away from me, Angela still had a comforting effect.

"I'm guessing you know why I called. That's why you've been avoiding my calls, right?"

I fell back onto my couch and sighed. "I'm sorry Angie. I've just been really messed up lately."

"Would that have anything to do with Edward?"

"More than you know," I answered honestly. And I didn't stop there. I told her everything; every moment, every look, every touch that I haven't even told Alice or Rose about.

Angela listened to every word giving only agreeing hums now and then. When I finished, I felt out of breath and tired even after my unexpected nap.

"I knew something was going on. I saw you leave after you two danced and knew there was more going on than what you would admit to."

"No, Angie," I said. "There is nothing going on now. That part of my life is over."

"Just like that?"

I sighed. "It has to be. Jake is my first love. He's my best friend, no offense to you or the girls, but he just gets me. He's my sun; my comfort. Edward was..._ is_ the complete opposite."

"Is that bad?" she laughed.

"I'm going to be thirty in the blink of an eye. I can't keep screwing around with Jacob, waiting to see if anything better comes along when I've got something great now!"

Unwanted tears began to fall. I couldn't stop them from over flowing. I've been sitting on a razors edge the last couple of weeks and now I've finally lost it.

"I'm sorry Angela," I begged. "I've spent almost six months fighting back and forth with myself. I have finally made a choice. I owe it to Jacob to give my all into this marriage. I can't keep thinking 'what-if' and hurting him."

"I know Bella. Just... you always think of everyone else. You try to come up with the best solution for everyone. But in this case, someone will get hurt either way. I understand how you want to give a real shot to a marriage with Jake, but what if it doesn't work. You'll end up hurting Edward now, Jacob later and yourself the whole time."

"I don't know what else to do," I cried.

"I'm sorry Bella, but I have to go. Ben just got home. Please think about what I said. You know I'll love your regardless. Call me if you need to talk more, okay?"

Hours later I was in the same spot, still holding the phone, thinking over what she said. The idea of Jake and I not working out in the end, was something I had never thought of. I never saw it as an option.

How can I go into a marriage thinking about the possible end?

I needed Jake. I needed the warm comfort only he could give me; not even Edward could.

He let me in the minute I knocked on his door. I stayed the night, quietly curled in his arms. He never asked what was wrong.

But I think he knew.


	34. Chapter 33: Sparks

**Not much to say for myself. Still trying. Still don't own anything. Still thankful for everyone who has been hanging on with me.**

* * *

Chapter 33: Sparks

_Did I drive you away?_

_I know what you'll say._

_You say oh,_

_Sing one we know._

**BPOV**

_Here we go again. 48 more hours before I do something that should have been done 6 months ago._

I think.

I sat against the headboard of my bed with my new wedding dress laid out in front of me. My house was quiet except for the constant thumping of rain and the occasional thunder. Rose and Alice didn't even try to talk me into going out again.

But when a knock came from the front door I had to laugh. I should have known they wouldn't stay away all night.

We ended up on the living room floor, doing our nails and reading gossip magazines. It was like we were teenagers again and I loved every minute of it.

That is, until Alice broke the moment.

"Have you talked to Edward since you... you know?" she asked.

"No, why would I?" My reply came back with much more of a bite than I wanted it to.

When Alice flinched and went back to work on her nails, Rose picked the subject back up.

"Oh cut the shit Bella. We know you're head over heels for him. _You_ know you're head over heals for him. So why are you here and not with _him_?"

"Why are you trying so hard to get me to leave Jacob?" I yelled. "What has he ever done to make you act like this?"

"This is not just about Jacob and you know that! You're only using him as an excuse because you're scared of how you feel for Edward and how fast you felt it!" Rose gave back, as blunt as ever.

"You have no idea what I've been feeling."

"Yes we do, Bella." Alice finally looked up. "Do you remember the spark you told us about?"

How could I forget? It was one of the things that kept making me go back to Edward. It would shake me to my core, emptying me out and filling me back up with a chill. While Jacob was my warmth, Edward sent chills through my body in the best way I never knew was possible.

Alice took my inability to reply as her answer and continued. "I felt the same thing when I first met Jasper. Even now he can bring me to my knees with a simple touch."

"It's the same way with me and Emmett. I always know when he's near by, because I can feel that same spark fill me up when he is. Are you really going to try to tell us you've never felt that with Edward?"

"But Jake?" I gasped, trying to keep the tears from falling.

"We know how much you love him," Alice said. "You two _are_ great together. But things like this don't happen every day. With the connection you have with Edward, have you ever thought that maybe this was supposed to happen?"

"Alice did say she had a good feeling when we got to the club that night. Maybe that was why. Maybe you were supposed to meet him."

"But that's not a good enough reason to forget everything Jake and I have had together," I tried to reason.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "So is that what this is about? Edward isn't good enough? Instead of owning his own business, he works hourly and makes just enough for the bills. I guess I can understand that. Why would you give that up?"

"Shut up!" I snapped. "You have no right to talk about him like that. Edward is an amazing man who has been through more than you know. He's incredibly selfless and caring and he does not deserve to be treated like that!"

"Exactly." Rose smirked.

"What?"

"Really Bella, after all these years you still couldn't catch sarcasm with a net the size of a football field."

I collapsed on the couch as her words took the air out of my lungs. Rosalie is a force you should not try to defeat. With a flick of her hair and a few choice words, she had me proving her point.

They left soon after that. Clearly it was the whole reason for their visit in the first place. Alice gave me a strong is-this-girl-really-the-size-of-a-pixie hug and begged me to think things through.

My three best friends had given me the same advice. Rose, never one to hold back, said it – or rather had me say it – like it is. Alice was abnormally calm instead, comforting me against Rose's harsh tones. And Angela had me thinking about possibilities down the road I never thought were possible.

They each had their own way, but all came to the same conclusion: I hadn't thought this through enough.

If only they knew how much I really _d_o think about it.

_The church was the clearest I had ever seen it. Every face, every flower was in perfect detail. People I hadn't seen in years stood by smiling._

_And if I could finally see them, I thought, maybe this time I can finally see who it is waiting for me at the end._

_I took off running as the guests watched like nothing was out of the normal. When I made it to the man, I tripped on my dress. In a split second his arms were around me. A small laugh echoed in his chest as he pulled me against him._

_I could hear my friends and family behind me laugh as well. I could even hear Rose say, "I told her she fell for him."_

_Ha ha, Rose. Ha ha._

_I turned to glare at them but no one was there. The entire building was empty except for the two of us._

_I tried to pull away so I could find them, but his arms only gripped me tighter._

"_Bella?" he said._

"_What?" My confusion caused me to snap at his soft voice. All of the fight left me though, when I looked into his green eyes._

"_Are you sure you want me to let you go?" he asked._

This time, I remembered every detail when I woke up.

And just like six months ago, it was those green eyes that made my world stop.


	35. Chapter 34: The Wedding

_**It's almost over ya'll. I did a count and we have two more chapters and an epilogue left. I'll do my best to make sure you don't have to wait too long for it. I'm sure you know how work can be. They just don't understand how important writting is. *cue eye roll* **_

_**I still don't own anything, but you know that by now.**_

* * *

Chapter 34: The Wedding

**BPOV**

"Oh Bella you look so beautiful," my mom cried.

"Thanks!" Alice replied.

I just rolled my eyes and gave my mom a hug. Alice and Rose demanded control over my hair and makeup before the last attempted wedding. I haven't said a word since they got here; I don't need to.

"Alright Mini-Me, let's let them have their mother/daughter moment." Rose pulled Alice out of the room, giving me the first moment of silence in the last several hours.

My mom stepped back and cleared her throat. "Now give me a spin. I want to see the whole picture."

"Mom." I sighed.

"Don't you 'Mom' me. Spin."

I managed to carefully spin in the death traps Alice told me were the perfect shoes. By time I made it back around, my mom had tears in her eyes.

"My baby. It's just perfect."

"_You look perfect."_

"_I love you."_

"_My heart is yours."_

"_Are you sure you want me to let you go?"_

"Thanks mom." I pushed _his_ voice away.

I spent all day yesterday once again going over every second of the last six months. No matter which way I leaned, the 'what-if's' always overpowered me.

Even today; I'm not sure I have the right answer.

"You did a great job picking this out," my mom said. "You'll have to help me."

"Wait, help _you_? But I thought-"

"Phil and I are going to stop in Vegas on our way home. Just for now, then we'll have a real wedding. You're the only person I've told. I didn't want to take away your moment."

She looked at me with the biggest smile and the most light I've ever seen on her face. She was really serious. They were going to get married.

"But I thought you said it didn't matter?"

"In the big picture, it doesn't. But when you find yourself already bound to someone on every level; the simple piece of paper and rings make you whole in every way. You give yourself fully to the other. All this wedding talk lately made me finally realize that."

"I still don't understand. After dad you said-"

She cut me off again. "I loved your father. Nothing will ever change that. But sometimes there are people who you feel bound to in one way, and then there are people that are bound to your soul. There's no doubt you love them both in their own way. You just can't deny the difference. If you do, you'll only hurt yourself."

My jaw damn near hit the floor. My mother has never talked like that. "What's gotten into you?"

"Why do you seem so surprised to hear me say something intelligent?" She laughed.

"It's not that. I just... I never thought I'd hear you talk like that." Not to mention how close her words hit home for me. They added a new layer to my already jumbled thoughts.

"Knock, knock," my dad said as he entered the room. "I don't mean to interrupt, but it's about time we head down."

Mom pulled herself together and gave me another hug. "Look with your heart. The heart always knows."

And just like Alice, Rose and Angela, she left without explaining further. I forced myself to shake it off and turned to face my father.

"Wow, look at you," he said.

"Not you too dad."

He laughed and hooked his arm with mine. "Yeah, I bet you've had an overdose of that today. Are you ready to do this?"

"As I'll ever be."

Things seemed to go in fast forward as we waited our turn to walk down the aisle. Charlie, never one for displays, shifted uncomfortably from side to side.

"You're happy, right?" he asked.

"What?"

"With Jake I mean. He makes you happy." I couldn't decide if that was a statement or a question.

"Of course he does." He's my best friend in the world. My biggest supporter and comfort.

At least he _was_.

"Good. As long as you're happy, that's what's important."

"I bet it doesn't hurt that he's your best friend's son." I laughed.

"Bells," my laugh fell short at the strength of his voice. "That doesn't matter to me, you know? All I ask for is a good man to make you happy. If that's Jake then great, if not... I just want you happy."

"Dad, I-" I was cut off at the music began to play.

It was our turn.

We slowly started to move forward. I looked around expecting to see the same setting from my dreams, but it wasn't there. It was all wrong. The rain outside darkened the church, instead of the bright life it had. The guests were still watching me, but it wasn't with the same happiness I had become used to.

When I looked up at Jacob, he looked just at confused and lost as I did. Charlie handed me off and kissed my cheek.

"I'll always love you kiddo, no matter what," he whispered.

"_My heart is yours; it always has been and always will be. Even if you do marry him, it's yours"_

And mine was his. Just like my mother said, some people are bound to your soul. In Edward's case, he's tightly wrapped around it and my heart.

Jacob has always been a part of my life, but looking back; he has never been the other half.

When Edward came along, everything seemed to come into focus. It was like a fairytale; I was sleeping before, never really seeing things and with one kiss my eyes flew open.

Oh God, it was there all along.

This isn't right. This needs to stop.

_Please forgive me Jake._

"Wait."

I froze.

That wasn't me.


	36. Chapter 35: Making Things Right

_**Short, yes. But it was needed. Let's see who said what and why.**_

_**I own nothing. Just a ton of thanks for whoever is still sticking with this little story of mine.**_

* * *

Chapter 35: Making Things Right

_Don't want to break your heart_

_Just wanna give your heart a break_

**BPOV**

"_Wait."_

_I froze._

_That wasn't me._

"Jake?" I gasped. "What are you-"

"Can we talk first? Just for a minute?"

I nodded before I could think. He began walking me back down the aisle, telling people we would be right back.

When we made it outside, the rain had let up. Jake let go of my hand and started to pace in front of me.

"Bells, I'll give you a chance to talk. Just please let me get this out first."

I could only nod again. My voice had disappeared the second I stepped out of the church.

"I know I've been distant lately. I just thought it would be best if I gave you the chance to fully come to terms with everything that has happened. I thought that once the shock wore off for both of us, things would go back to the way they were. But we haven't."

"I'm sorry Jacob. I tried," I managed to beg.

"I know you did. That's why I stopped this. I know you, Bella. I know you've been trying to figure out the best way for this to work, but some things just aren't meant to."

"What are you saying?"

He sighed. "You love _him_."

And there it was, the simple fact that even he could see.

"I do love you Jake."

"I know."

"But it was just like Quil and Claire." I cried softly. "I never had a choice."

He pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead. "As much as I would have loved for it to be me; the fact that you found someone you connected with like that, isn't something to be sad over."

"I don't want to lose you."

"Like you could ever get rid of me. I'm still gonna be your friend." He laughed. "Sure, it'll be a little weird, but we can do weird."

"Thank you for understanding."

"I love you Bells. In some way I always will. No matter who you're with, as long as you're happy."

"I think you're the sixth person to tell me that today."

"Well then maybe you should take the hint. Come on, we have a church full of people waiting for an explanation and you have someone to find."

The room fell silent as soon as we came back in. About half way back to the front, I got an idea. I told Jake to go ahead and headed to my mom.

"I'll keep this short and sweet," I heard him say. "We're not gonna get married again today. We're actually not going to get married at all. I'm sorry if you feel we've wasted your time, but Bella and I have do what's right for us. Thanks."

Jacob and his family quickly gathered up and left. He gave me one last wave; mouthing he would call.

I had expected to feel empty and devastated the moment he left. But instead I felt hope. I believed him when he said he would still be there for me.

I couldn't believe how fast this was all going. Jake set my feelings straight without an effort. Then again, he knows me better than almost everyone.

"Bella?" my mom pulled my from my thoughts. "What just happened?"

"Just like he said, we're not getting married. But I was thinking, since we're all here anyway..." I trailed off and handed her my bouquet of flowers.

She gasped as her eyes went wide. "You can't be serious."

"Why not?"

"Because this is your day."

"Not anymore." I laughed and gave her a hug. "Now it's yours."

Phil came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "What do you say Renee? At least this way you'll know I'll actually be in a suit."

My mom looked at me. "If you're sure."

"Trust me mom, I haven't been this sure about something in a while." I laughed.

When I left the church, I tried his house phone first.

"Edward? James? Anyone? Where are you guys?"

Then I tried his cell phone.

"Call me back when you get this."

I tried the restaurant, but was put on hold for several minutes before I was hung up on.

I was crammed into my car, trying to drive in this impossible dress and shoes. I pulled into the parking lot of _La Bella Italia _and after almost falling out of the car, I ran inside.

And of course with my luck, the line for a table was backed up to the door.

I pushed my way pass the waiting customers and ran between the tables.

_Where are you? Where are you?_

Everywhere I looked, I couldn't find the bronze hair I was desperate to find.

"Bella?"

I turned around and almost ran into James.

_Stupid dress._ I'm not sure how I feel about the ballgown look now.

"James! Where's Edward? I need to find him."

"Edward? Uh, I think he's on his break. Hey, I thought you were getting- "

By this point I'd had enough and grabbed his collar and started shaking him.

"ON HIS BREAK WHERE?! WHERE IS HE?!" I screamed.

"Out back in the ally. Damn," he said looking slightly afraid.

"Thank you!"

I took off running again, ignoring the strange looks I was getting.

_If you knew how the past six months have been, this wouldn't seem so strange._

I made it to the back door, without falling I may add, and pushed it open.


	37. Chapter 36: Perfect Situation

_**Yes, believe it or not, this is the LAST CHAPTER, then the epilogue. I may have some outtakes later on, but for now this story is almost complete. I will not cry... yet.**_

_**I'll go more in depth about future stories next time, deeper thanks and all that jazz.**_

_**For now, I once again thank everyone for reading and reviewing. I still don't own anything, of course.**_

_**And I do suggest listening to Perfect Situation by Weezer for this chapter. It was brand new when I first came up with this story idea, (yeah, that long ago) and I can't post this chapter without mentioning it. Oh, and I don't own that either.**_

* * *

Chapter 36: Perfect Situation

_Get your hands off the girl,  
Can't you see that she belongs to me?  
And I don't appreciate this excess company.  
Though I can't satisfy all the needs she has  
And so she starts to wander...  
Can you blame her?_

**EPOV**

_Focus on work. Don't think about the fact that they're probably married by now. Don't think about the fact that he's probably holding her right now, kissing her, telling her how much he loves her and how she's probably doing the same._

_Ignore the desire you have to be in his place right now. Ignore the sharp, burning, agonizing pain you have in your chest right now. It's not gonna do you any good anyway. Just focus on work._

Why I didn't take today, of all days, off I'll never fully understand. Maybe I thought that if I kept myself busy I wouldn't think about what was happening today.

Who am I kidding? Every time I get my mind off it for just a short second, I'm attacked with a pain that feels like I'm getting hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. It's almost as if my heart won't let me forget.

_Okay, how about this, _I thought, trying to compromise with myself. _Don't forget, just... let go. Let go like you did with Tanya. She, just like Tanya, will marry a guy she loves; who loves her back._

There will never be another I love like I did with Bella. After Tanya left I had doubt but some hope as well, that someone would come around. This time I knew. There was no hope, only knowledge. There will never be another Bella. I will never be the same.

After three hours from Hell, I somehow managed to sneak out for a break. The dirty alley was deserted and quiet; exactly what I needed.

I had promised Bella she would never see me again. Even in the city, I knew that would be next to impossible. I started looking into places for rent in Chicago. I didn't find much but had a lead on a new job.

It won't be easy, but I have to give her this chance.

I have to at least try.

Leftover rain dripped from the gutters, landing right on my head as I leaned against the building. I didn't bother to move; I only closed my eyes.

**BPOV**

I froze as soon as I found him. He wasn't the same man I left just weeks ago. Everything about him showed his defeat. I stood there for who knows how long just watching him.

When the door finally slammed shut behind me, we both jumped.

He blinked several times as we locked eyes, before pushing off of the brick wall.

"Bella?" he asked.

"Hi," was the only word I could get out.

"What are you doing here?"

Where do I begin? I slowly started walking towards him; loving how my heart gave an extra beat with every step.

"I came here for you."

"Where's Jacob?"

"He left with his family hours ago."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you with him?"

"Because I wanted to be here with you," I said, coming to a stop just inches in front of him. "We didn't go through with the wedding; we couldn't."

"Bella, I'm sorry if I had anything to do with it not happening again. I've been trying to-"

I cut him off. "If? Edward, you had everything to do with it."

"I'm sorry." He hung his head, but I was too desperate to see his eyes again. I grasped his face between my hands and forced him to look at me.

"I'm _in love_ with _you_. Even Jake could see it. We didn't get married because I love you. I'm here because I love you. And I'm sorry it took me so long to figure out just how much _I love you_."

He pulled my hands away. "Bella, you shouldn't have left Jake. You deserve-"

"Tell me you don't love me," I interrupted again.

"Bella," he sighed.

"Tell me and I'll leave."

"I can't," he whispered. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath, until it rushed out of me at his words.

"I want _you _Edward. I'll wait how ever long it takes for you."

"I'm not going to make you wait."

I thought for a second he was going to push me away. Instead, he pulled me closer and kissed me.

"I love you, Bella," he whispered against my lips. "I promise to do everything I can to give you everything you need."

"I just need you. I need you more than I could have ever thought I would." I kissed him again.

Before I could stop him, he was pulling away and reaching under the collar of his shirt. "You need to have this."

He unhooked a gold chain from around his neck. It took only a second to realize what was hanging off of it.

"Our rings?" I gasped. "You kept them?"

"Of course I did. I needed something to remind me of you."

My eyes never left his at he re-hooked the chain around my neck. The weight of the rings sat against my pounding heart.

"Perfect," he said.

And it was.

Even after the less than ideal beginning and the heartbreaking middle; the end result was indeed just that.

Perfect.

* * *

_**I don't usually do end notes but I wanted to add something. I'll try to post a preview of the epilogue on my blog in a few days, just before it's posted, if you're interested.**_


	38. Epilogue: Dreams Come True

_**Here's the end. It's been a long road. Longer than you would believe.**_

_**My usual thanks are doubled since this is the last post. To everyone who has stuck with me over the last four years. To everyone who just discovered this story. To every view and review, both good and bad. It's meant a lot over the years; it's kept me going. I'm slow, but I never stopped thanks to you guys.**_

_**As far as future projects, I'm not finished writing yet. This story is officially done. I may post a few outtakes whenever they come to me, but for now it's complete. I have a few other stories I'd like to share on here, but I'm going to wait until I have them mostly written. I also have a story on Twlighted that is a few chapters away from being finished. Currently, I have no plans to cross post them. I'm under the same pen-name there as I am here and have another story lined up to post there as well.**_

_**The last thing I'd like to note - and hopefully it doesn't make me sound full of myself, - I have no plans of ever taking ANY of my fanfiction stories down to publish. I started writing these to help motivate myself and put myself out there. That is their main purpose. Like I said, I hope that doesn't make me sound full of myself, but since there's been loads of pulled stories lately, I wanted it to be known.**_

_**Every beginning has an end. But with every end comes a new beginning. Lots of love to all of you! I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry.**_

* * *

Epilogue: Dreams Come True

_Love me tender  
love me sweet  
Never let me go.  
You have made my life complete  
and I love you so._

_Love me tender_  
_Love me true_  
_All my dreams fulfilled._  
_For my darlin' I love you_  
_and I always will._

**BPOV**

18 months later.

"Edward, I swear to God, if you don't stop speeding around those corners, I'm gonna throw up in your car."

"Sorry, love." Even with the blindfold I could tell he was smiling. He's been smiling and giggling like a little girl for the past week.

"Did the doctor give you anything to help?" he asked, still obviously smiling but sounding concerned as well.

"Um, no," I shifted in my seat. "She said I'd just have to wait it out."

"Wait it out? What kind of advice is that?"

He sounded so appalled with worry laced in between. It was times like these that I was reminded just how much he loved me; a bit over protective at times, but always out of love.

_He'll be even worse once I tell him._

After getting sick for three days straight, Edward was finally able to talk me into going to the doctor. He couldn't come with me since he had to work, but he made me promise I would tell him everything when I got home.

When I did get home, he blindfolded me and practically carried me out to the car before I could really say anything.

That's Edward for you.

Edward quit working at the restaurant several months ago. When a job at the newspaper I work for opened up, I pulled some strings and got him hired. He now writes a weekly column on music and has gathered quite a fandom – mostly girls – that like to make themselves known every once and a while.

He's polite of course, but hardly looks at them as he introduces me as, "The love of my life."

That's _my_ Edward for you and he'll be even worse once I tell him.

That is, if I ever get a chance to.

"Are we there yet?" I whined.

"Almost," he laughed.

"How much longer?"

"Just a few more minutes," he said, taking my hand. "Relax. Don't make yourself sick."

I almost laughed. I couldn't relax even if I tried. I was too excited to see how he would react and how he would be.

Jasper stayed the same, calm and mellow. And Emmett… well… Emmett was Emmett times two – if you can imagine that.

Alice had a baby girl they named Jazmine a little over a year ago. Up until the day she was born, Jasper still wasn't sure about using his name, but because he swears she already had Alice's pout, he gave in and instantly loved it.

Rosalie had twins, Forest and Lillian, five months ago. Alice is already planning Forest and Jazmine's wedding. She's sure she can see it and we never doubt Alice anymore.

Jake and I still talk constantly. We're just as much friends now as we were before I met Edward, thankfully. I didn't think it was possible for things to be like this between us, but looking back, this is all we ever were, all we were ever meant to be.

I wouldn't change anything that happened between us for the world. Those six months may not have been the easiest we ever went through but we've come out better because of them.

After Edward moved into my house, Victoria moved in with James and shortly after they left to get married in Vegas. James thought that since a quickie wedding worked for Edward and I, it would work for them. They've been married over a year now and haven't changed a bit – take that however you want.

Now they're trying to have a baby themselves. God help us.

I felt the car stop and could hear Edward fighting with his seat belt.

"Wait here," he said. "No peaking."

"Edward!" I yelled, but I was too late. The door on his side shut and within seconds my door was opened.

He leaned into the car and helped me out. "Follow me."

He guided me for what felt like several minutes; but really only one or two at most. I could hear the cars on the streets around us. I could smell nearby flowers. And when Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulders, I could feel his heart pound.

My heart, in turn, followed it's beat. The static and shock continued to run through my body as it has for two years now. I could even feel a slight flutter in my stomach. I knew it was far too early to be anything other than my own imagination; but it was the perfect reminder – as if I needed one – to how much I loved and needed the man beside me.

**EPOV**

The wind seemed to wrap around us as we neared the large tree. It never failed, every trip I've ever made up here has given me a comfort I haven't felt since my parents died. Especially when I'm here with Bella; everything seems right.

It's hard to believe that only two years ago she wasn't in my life. I wasn't prepared for the devotion I would automatically feel for her. She is my only one.

That day in the alley seems so long ago. So much has changed. I knew instantly I wanted to give Bella a real wedding. I've spent the last several months trying to find the best way to ask her. It needed to be romantic; not like it was the first time.

When my parents anniversary came up, it dawned on me. I couldn't believe I didn't think of it before. I'd ask her to marry me in the same spot my father asked my mother. The same place I bared my soul to her. That was the night things undoubtedly changed for us. We wouldn't be here without it.

I lead her right under it's large branches; blocking her pale skin from the sun. She's been sick enough already.

"Bella," I whispered in her ear. "There will never be enough time to tell you how much I love you. With every second I am given with you, I will always want more; need more. I have spent my entire life waiting for you. I want to spend the rest of it with you."

I pulled away, laughing at her small pout and knelled.

"I love you more than anything." I reached up and pulled her blindfold off. "Will you marry me?"

Her eyes went wide before she tackled me, screaming, "Yes!"

I laid on the ground holding her close and kissing her. Uncontrollable giggles were coming from both of us; I'm not too ashamed to say.

She leaned on her elbows over me and gave me another quick kiss. "Just think, this time next year the three of us will be one happy family."

I loved the thought of that. Forever with Bella and...

Wait.

"_Three_?" I sat up, pulling her along with me.

She bit her lip and nodded. "Three."

Without a second thought, I pulled her lips back to mine and gently laid her back on the ground.

Her full laughs didn't stop me from running kisses down her neck, over her blushing chest, to the belly that held the other love of my life.

The perfect part of both of us.

Life can't get much better.


End file.
